By Ricky Ribeiro
Staff writer
I love Shakira. I love the way she winds her sinewy hips and pops her oiled chest in the “La Tortura” video. I love the way she bleats that goat-like yodel and the way she croaks and grunts to show she’s not a squeaky-clean polished singer. Half-Colombian, half-Lebanese and all scalding sexuality, Shakira has been the poster girl for “exotic Latin girl” in America since her 2001 English-language debut, Laundry Service. But as much as I love Shakira, the girl’s a big tease.
Shakira has released a double-disc opus called Fijacion Oral/Oral Fixation. The first half of this set, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1, was released earlier this year and sung in her native tongue – Spanish. The album had the smoking single, “La Tortura,” featuring Alejandro Sanz and was one of the highest debuting Spanish-language albums in America.
People who can’t even pronounce “me duele tanto” right will enjoy the steamy, bouncy single. And rightfully so – the song had all the ingredients that makes Shakira so appealing in the first place. It was upbeat, it was sensual, and it was different.
So why, oh why, does Shakira hit the United States with “Don’t Bother” for her first single from Oral Fixation, Vol. 2? Rather than an entertaining song, we’re stuck with imitation Alanis Morissette “I’m better off without you” angst. Shakira, no me dejas asi.
Oral Fixation is unfortunately, for the most part, more of Shakira’s rockera shtick. “Rockera” of course being a Spanish term to reference Shakira’s status as a “rock artist.” I’m not patronizing here; Shakira is a very talented musician and she can pull off the rockera music sometimes, but other times you just wish she’d drop the guitar and pick up a beat and enjoy herself.
The album gets especially wearisome when she tries to drop what she must think are prolific-sounding metaphors and speeches. Take this one from “Don’t Bother”: “She’s got the kind of look, that defies gravity/She’s the greatest cook, and she’s fat-free.” OK?
Some of the more awkward phrasing and poetry is most likely a result of things getting lost in translation, because the material is generally better in Spanish. But she shows she can whip out the sexuality and sharp tongue on the second verse of the same song: “Sure she doesn’t know, how to touch you like I would/I beat her at that one good, don’t you think so?/She’s almost six feet tall, she must think I’m a flea/I’m really a cat you see, and it’s not my last life at all.”
Unfortunately, the majority of the album is awkward and uneven similar to the first single and the strongest songs here are the ballads.
“Illegal” has Shakira pining for a painful and dejected love, while Carlos Santana plays a little electric guitar. The instrumental is spare, and Shakira’s voice and story take center stage. Here she speaks straight from the heart and nothing is lost in translation.
Another ballad works well, “Something,” but this song was much better in Spanish when it appeared on Fijacion Oral as “En Tus Pupilas.” Shakira is missing stand-out hits on this album, and that’s what hurts her most.
Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 isn’t quite up to the same level as its Spanish counterpart; perhaps on her next album she’ll turn up the heat and duet with someone entertaining, like Mr. Reggaeton himself, Daddy Yankee. The “gasolina” the potential duet would make would be guaranteed to start a fire.
Contact reporter Ricky Ribeiro at ribeirodbk@gmail.com.
