The last time Shakira released an English-studio album, it was her superb 2009 set "She Wolf", which dutifully blended world sensibility with a gleaming euro-disco, and was aimed straight at the club culture of America. It had all the makings of a hit, but it nevertheless flopped at the turn of the decade. She was lucky enough to regain prominence with "Waka Waka", the 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem that swept the globe, and she quickly released another Spanish-studio album "Sale El Sol" by the end of that year. It had slightly better sales and critical acclaim, but it also had the same problem as "She Wolf": it was only targeted at one audience. That time, it was dedicated to the world outside of America who appreciated trends outside of the new synthpop and electropop sound-scape. Shakira doesn't make that mistake again with her tenth album, "Shakira".
An eponymous album released so late in her career would seem to signal some kind of rebirth, and in fact, that's exactly what this record is. Soon after the "She Wolf"/"Sale El Sol" clamor ended, she split from her long-time love Antonio de la Rua (though quickly rebounded with Gerard Pique), she signed onto the newest singing-contest craze The Voice, signed onto Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, and most importantly, she gave birth to her first child. All of these events have led to a re-surgence in Shakira's popularity, and so she doesn't miss a beat (literally) in crafting a pop record that will please virtually any audience. Blink or you might miss the Brazilian dance-pop "Dare (La La La)", because that's the only time this fusion of genres appears on "Shakira". The rest of the record deliberately bounces back between genres and moods, ranging from the sassy reggae/ska of the Rihanna-duet "Can't Remember to Forget You", to the country-fied pop of the Blake Shelton-assisted "Medicine", to the early-2000s pop/rock "Spotlight", which may be the most direct Shakira's ever been with the constant press pounding at her personal affairs. Indeed, it's easy to get caught up in the revolving door of sounds and nationalities, that it's easy to overlook the fact that "Shakira" is her most personal work. Besides the opening track, every song here alludes to her fame ("Spotlight"), split from Antonio de la Rua (the sparse, deliciously bitter "You Don't Care About Me"), or her new-found bliss with both Gerard Pique and son Milan (the singer-songwriter pop "23" and dance-infused rock of "The One Thing", respectively). It's all good, but head and shoulders above everything else is the power-ballad "Empire", which features Shakira's most magnetic vocals, and provides further proof that even a decade after she become a worldwide icon, she still makes the best pop music around. "Shakira" doesn't hit as hard as "She Wolf" or "Sale El Sol" did, but it's still breezy, comfortable music that against all odds, retains a certain depth both musically and lyrically. It covers far too much ground to be truly cohesive, and it does drag a little, but it's worth it, because Shakira's made for us another engaging, progressive pop record.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Dare (la la la) 2. Can’t Remember to Forget You 3. Empire
4. You Don’t
Care About Me 5. Cut Me Deep 6. Spotlight
7. Broken
Record 8. Medicine 9. 23
10. The One Thing 11. Nunco Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte 12. Loca Por Ti
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