Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 12/10/09
Label: Sony

In a country ravaged by the effects of unforgiving drug cartels, political unrest and animosity, a singing, dancing and philanthropic sensation like Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll must offer immeasurable light relief for Colombians. Not that she should be fobbed off as some performing dolly bird (she's reported to have an IQ of 140, fact fans). And it's not just Latin America that has been bitten by the charms of this pint-sized chanteuse with her warbling vocal and over-zealot belly-dancing. Since her 2001 hit "Whenever, Wherever", with its quite frankly barmy lyric, "Lucky that my breasts are small and humble / So you don't confuse them with mountains", Shakira seems to have won over the global music community.

From working with Beyonce on "Beautiful Liar", Annie Lennox on "Sting" and Wyclef Jean on "King And Queen", the list of people wanting to collaborate with Shakira is not immodest by any means. And so it is with her third studio album in English, "She Wolf", which boasts a pack of musical luminaries throwing their two cents in, but not necessarily to the benefit of their host. Working principally with Pharrell Williams as co-writer, the majority of "She Wolf" was produced by his production hit-squad The Neptunes and it shows as a sleekly-polished and bombast-finished work.

And unlike its predecessor, "She Wolf" dilutes the Latin pop rock formula that Shakira has become synonymous with, steering towards an electro-pop bent and the odd flirtation with dancehall rhythms. Hardly surprising then that The Bravery's Sam Endicott has lent a hand on the record's sleazy synth title track and "Men In This Town", a dulled Euro disco number; whilst Wyclef Jean has thrown his "rapping" talents over the lacklustre disco-wannabe track "Spy".

Not that that matters, this is Shakira after all. You'd expect as much musical naffness as you would lyrical absurdity. "I'm a gypsy / Are you coming with me? / I might steal your clothes and wear them if they fit me", she wails on the aptly named "Gypsy" - a track that's the handy work of supposed songwriter extraordinaire Amanda Ghost. Hardly does much to ease race relations, now does it? But where Shakira truly excels is when she goes back to her roots, and immerses herself in the smooth Latin American melodies and rhythms that enthralled her fans in the first place, as can be heard on "Lo Hecho Está Hecho".

Ultimately, the list of collaborators on "She Wolf" may be an impressive roll call, but perhaps Shakira would do better in listening to her own instincts than that of others.

    by Ash Dosanjh