Review: Shakira

Shakira

'Shakira' is the self-titled new album from the Columbian superstar who needs no introduction.

As somebody who has grown up listening to Shakira and who has been very disappointed by the lack of material from her in the past four years, I was very much looking forward to seeing what was in store this time around. The results were extremely interesting

To be quite clear off the bat, the album lacks structure. This is not an album that flows perfectly from song to song or that tells a deep hidden message of a story. It is not one that will win many awards or that will seduce critics. What is true though is the one undeniable truth... Shakira never makes a bad song. In fact, Shakira with her new album has managed to push the boundaries of where her voice and music can go even though her career has spanned almost 15 years. On the new album can be heard dance-floor fillers, epic piano-filled ballads, reggae, country music, classic Shakira pop-rock. In short there is no style of music that Shakira is too cowardly to take on an experiment with.

On self-titling the album, Shakira said that she had found out a lot about herself from creating this album. As I do not know Shakira, I cannot be sure of this, but I do know that in the album she has taken many risks. There are no 'Hips Don't Lie' hits, nor any 'Whenever, Wherever's. What there is instead is the pure, honest gorgeous voice of a woman who has proved that it is possible to give yourself a musical rebirth even years into a glorious and legendary career. This alone deserves some credit.

In short, the album isn't perfect, there's a lot she could've done to make the album a critical success. However if Shakira wanted to make that album, she would've. Shakira has made a piece of work that isn't thinking about awards or sales or chart placements but instead is a reflective and diverse piece of art. 'Shakira' will satisfy all Shakira fans as they take a new look at the superstar's personality, and there may even be some tracks that the neutrals can connect to depending on their taste. In any case, given that this goddess of a woman gave birth to a child in the past 12 months, this is excellent music that should be given a chance to prove its worth to all music fans.

8.5/10



Click here to watch the video for the album's lead single 'Can't Remember To Forget You'

Review: Supermodel

Supermodel

'Supermodel' is the second album from American alternative rock band 'Foster the People'.

Having enjoyed listening to 'Torches' on countless occasions over the past couple of years, I realised that in creating a second album, Foster the People were setting the bar high for themselves. This album had to pull out all the stops to  create a top class, high-end, award-winning album and that's exactly what they managed to do.

From the opening track 'Are You What You Want To Be', it is clear that the techno, synth-based pop of 'Torches' is out the window. In it's place is a more organic, down to earth sound that still manages to capture the enthusiasm and energy that was bottled up in their debut effort. 'Supermodel' is an album that seems to use every instrument under the sun, but still manages to bring everything together into songs that flow exceedingly well into each other. The album's vocals are also stellar and are more than adequately able to demonstrate the range of Mark Foster's voice, something that was missed in the first album.

In creating this album, these three men from LA have done more than just correct that which was missing in the first album, they build upon their successes whilst trying out new stuff. The lead single 'Coming of Age' is a rock track unlike anything on the first album, and is a track that will surely close many live sets to come. The album with also have you dancing around to tracks such as 'Best Friends', but also admiring the acoustic style of tracks such as 'Goats in Trees' or chilling to the folkish sound of end track 'Fire Escape'.

To summarise, this album is a masterpiece that exceeds any expectations even the biggest fans might have set. It's an album that will surely make this band a household name across the world and I will be extremely surprised to not see it up for many awards next year. Buy this album, even in March I will make the prediction that nobody will manage to create a better album than this, it is flawless, it is perfect, it is genius.

10/10



Click here to watch the video for the album's lead single 'Coming of Age'