Shakira -- She Wolf

6/10

Hey, remember all that stuff I said about how refreshing it was to hear all of the real instruments on Shakira's early 00's pop music? Well, forget that for 2009's She Wolf, because here comes the next Justin Timberlake. Outside of the fun, disco-fueled title track, and random rock oddity, "Mon Amour," the rest sounds like Timbaland's castoffs from 2006's FutureSex/LoveSounds. Gone are Shakira's introspective lyrics, replaced by ones about how she needs to have sex with a complete, and possibly malevolent stranger, right now. Just in case you can't make out the lyrics, there are plenty of helping moans and heavy breathing sounds tossed in as if from last night's drunken, desperate, and ill-advised sex to help you out. Yes, this is that album in Shakira's discography. I'd say it's a complete toss-off, but this is still Shakira, so even amongst the horny, frat-house, dance-party hell there are still lyrical gems such as "Every night I pray you don't knock her up/because I still want to be the mother of your child" and "Is there a prince in this fable/ For a small town girl like me?/ The good ones are gone, or not able/ And Matt Damon's not meant for me/ Damon's not meant for me." Yes, she repeats Matt Damon's last name, just in case you didn't get it the first time, and also to Shakira, Matt Damon is apparently the paragon of male sexuality. Her uniqueness shines through even this cloying pop sheen, and her English songs are sung more confidently than ever, though she still sounds more deadly in Spanish. There's an obvious lack of confidence in this material, leading to a bevy of bonus tracks that just end up doubling and even tripling up on some songs, beefing the lean She Wolf into a husky 16 tracks. Instead of giving the listener more diversity, though, the album repeats "She Wolf" as Spanish-version "Loba," then repeats it again in a live form that sounds exactly like the studio version. All of this just makes me think about Los Lobos, and I am going to go listen to them now instead of this. I just told you I hated the music of 2009, which somehow even makes Shakira seem like a lame wannabe. Dammit, I wish I could drink on this medication.


2009 Epic
1. She Wolf 3:10
2. Did It Again 3:13
3. Long Time 2:56
4. Why Wait 3:43
5. Good Stuff3:18
6. Men in This Town 3:36
7. Gypsy 3:18
8. Spy (featuring Wyclef Jean) 3:27
9. Mon Amour 4:06
10. Loba 3:09
11. Lo Hecho Está Hecho 3:13
12. Años Luz 3:44
13. Give It Up to Me (featuring Lil Wayne) 3:06
14. Did It Again (featuring Kid Cudi) 3:50
15. Gypsy (live) 3:27
16. She Wolf 3:11