'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'
No comments:
Post a Comment