She howls at the moon and runs with a pack that includes Kid Cudi, Wyclef and Lil Wayne. But is Shakira's latest release destined to become lost in the wilderness?
Track Listing: (U.S. Version)
1. She Wolf
2. Did It Again
3. Long Time
4. Why Wait
5. Good Stuff
6. Men In This Town
7. Gypsy
8. Spy (featuring Wyclef Jean)
9. Mon Amour
10. Loba
11. Lo Hecho Esta Hecho
12. Anos Luz
13. Give It Up To Me (featuring Lil Wayne)
14. Did It Again (featuring Kid Cudi)
15. Gypsy (Live)
16. She Wolf (Live)
Back in July, when Shakira released the "She-Wolf" single and video, it was met with a great big wave of listener apathy. Despite a video featuring lots of her trademark hip-shaking and a very radio-friendly beat, the song failed to make much of a dent on the charts. Panic mode set in at Shakira-central, and the U.S. release date of the record was postponed to allow time for remixing of some songs and recording of a handful of new songs. Did the last minute production tweaks salvage the project or just make a bigger mess?
The album features three different versions of "She Wolf," (the original radio version, the Spanish-version and a completely unnecessary live version.) It's almost as though the producers (and there are several, including Shakira herself) felt obligated to explain why the album was named She-Wolf, and for lack of any real reason, settled on bombarding the listener with as many different takes on the tune as possible. Unfortunately, the song is a silly, lazy piece of songwriting and has nothing to support its multiple appearances on the record. The video is still nice, though, and can be enjoyed with the sound turned off, thus saving one's ears from the bleary and bland disco-eque mess.
After the first "She-Wolf" and right until it shows up again in the Spanish version as "Loba", the album moves along at a brisk, inoffensive pace. "Did It Again" and "Good Stuff" will doubtless become club standards for a while, thanks to the production of The Neptunes. The lyrics are mostly forgettable, and Shakira never attempts to get more out of her voice than is necessary for the lightness and ear-candy-ness of the tunes.
Wyclef Jean shows up in "Spy", in an obvious attempt to recapture the magic of the duo's earlier hit, "Hips Don't Lie." Fortunately, they don't try to recreate the feel of "Hips", and the result is one of the better tunes on the album. While "She Wolf" tried to update the sound of disco,"Spy" mines every disco cliché in the book and presents them unaltered. (There's a whirling horn section, a Bee Gee's reference, and a bit of Donna Sumner thrown in for good measure.) "Mon Amour" sounds more like the Shakira of Laundry Service, and feels oddly out of place among the club and dance-friendly tracks which surround it. It's a welcome change of pace and between it and "Spy", you get the feeling that there was once a less predictable batch of songs considered for the album.
After "Loba", and two more Spanish songs ("Lo Hecho Esta Hecho" and "Anos Luz") are the two new songs which postponed the album's U.S. release. The Lil Wayne collaboration "Give It Up To Me" will doubtless be a big hit, and I'm sure the video will feature lots of bumping and grinding and hip shaking, but it's hardly groundbreaking and the lyrics will never be accused of being subtle. ('You can go up my crane girl/And Imma go down that drain girl' is one of the more romantic lines of the tune.)
Emo-rapper Kid Cudi's is next on the list with a remix of "Did It Again," which adds nothing to the original version. I'm not sure who thought this was a good idea, or how someone saying "yeah" and "huh" a few times over the same track was worth the delay it caused. If this song turns out to be the single, I'm pretty sure this will be the version released, but Cudi momentarily channeling Michael Jackson's 'are you ok?' from "Smooth Criminal" doesn't make the song even a smidge better.
The 411: There's plenty of filler on this album, and except for the Wyclef appearance, the guest stars add nothing. "Spy" and "Mon Amour" are great songs trapped on a mediocre album and "Did It Again" and "Good Stuff" are solid club tracks, but the rest of the record is almost instantly forgettable.
