Laundry Service

by

Shakira

Edit

I had never heard of Shakira before she released this cross-over English album, but it took less than a second for me to become a fan. I first encountered Shakira's name atop a list of most popular videos and wondered who in the world this performer was. The Whenever, Wherever video totally blew me away; I admit it took a couple of viewings for me to get past her beauty and all of those amazing little moves and shakes she has perfected, but pretty quickly I realized that the song in and of itself was addictive. Soon I was watching both the English and Spanish videos of the song, eagerly awaiting the moment when a CD full of Shakira's music would find its way to my stereo. As someone not very familiar with Latin music, this album brings a whole new type of sound into my world, and my appreciation and interest in this style has grown immeasurably as a result of my buying this album. My respect for Shakira likewise grew in leaps and bounds as I learned more about her, such as the fact that at 24 she not only wrote or co-wrote all of these songs but also produced them, as well as the fact that she was already one of the most popular Latin singers in her part of the world.

There is a lot of variety to be found on this album; alongside traditional Latin stylings, Shakira incorporates elements of Spanish, Arabic, and even good old American rock and roll music, melding all of these influences into a sound that is uniquely her own. Laundry Services offers up nine English-language songs, two Spanish tracks, and the Spanish versions of her two biggest hits. Now I wish I hadn't forgotten all the Spanish I learned in college, but it really doesn't matter all that much. Listening to Shakira sing in her native language is mesmerizing and provides a much clearer example of her unstoppable musical talent. Her English songs are great, but clearly she is more comfortable singing in Spanish, and the opportunity to listen to two great songs in both of their versions can be pretty illuminating. Whenever, Wherever pulses with obvious pop appeal, and it alone certainly earned Shakira this particular fan; its Spanish-language version, Suerte, is even more enjoyable. Underneath Your Clothes is a nice ballad that offers up the softer side of Shakira but fails to communicate the immense talents she has at her disposal. Tengo is a song that may not appeal to everyone, but I think its strong tango introduction makes for a great beginning of this cross-over album; closing the album with the Spanish-language version of the song, Te Aviso, Te Anuncio, is an equally nice and symmetrical touch. The One is another excellent ballad, while The Fool is a song that I would definitely release as a single; these two songs rival Whenever, Wherever as the best tracks on the album. Poem to a Horse is a rocking little number that belies its rather timid-sounding title. I don't know what Shakira is saying in Te Dejo Madrid and Que Me Quedes Tu, but I certainly like how she is saying it. The one and only song that comes across as a little weak is Rules, but I would like to say for the record that I personally would have no problem following any rules that Shakira might require of me.

This album isn't perfect, and in some ways it is a fairly unusual crossover album. Shakira's newly-learned English is not perfectly understandable at times (but the liner notes do contain all of the song lyrics) but her voice always resonates the beauty and passion and incredible talent she carries inside her. The Spanish tracks serve an important dual purpose - assuring her long-time Latin music fans that she has not abandoned them for the US market and allowing people like me to get an understanding and develop an appreciation of the incredible Latin music we have been missing out on all these years. Shakira has it all as far as I'm concerned, a true musical artist with a commitment to her career and to her fans all over the world that will assure her success for many years to come.

I read the other reviews, and noticed that Shaki's fans were generous with the star ratings, but told the truth in the text of the review. This CD is bad. I loved Pies Descalzos, she was so "real" back then. She lost *some* of her magic in "Donde Estan Los Ladrones," and I bought her English CD to support her, and had mediocre expectations. But the music on this English CD, like other reviewers have noticed, sounds lifted from several genres and bands, I can definitely hear riffs from the Sex Pistols, B-52s, and U2. The music is unoriginal.

And I am very forgiving on her accent, so I won't even bother dissecting it. The lyrics are for the most part Shaki's signature style, though I can hear translations of specific lines from her previous albums on this English CD! The music is bad, period. I hope Shaki gets the message and gets real again, why is a crossover in the English domain so important anyway? Non-Spanish speakers were already buying her Spanish albums.