Gone are the days when a new album comes out that you run to listen to all the ten plus songs that are new and fresh and have you going mad in anticipation. By the time of Shakira’s release of the “anticipated” El Dorado, we have already heard five of the thirteen tracks because they were already shoved down our throats for over a year.
“La Bicicleta,” the first single hit massive success as a duet with Carlos Vives. “Chantaje,” the second single is a duet with Maluma, then we have “Deja Vu,” the third single is again another duet. This time the duet is with Prince Royce. “Me Enamore” is the first track that Shakira has the ability to shine on her own. And finally, the fifth single is “Nada” which is another non-duet track. As you can see, before listening to the album, I feel like I have heard it all.
I reading other people’s reviews of the album while I am listening to an album because maybe they might have insights that I might have overlooked and I had to laugh when someone wrote: “Shakira returned to her origins.” – Maybe I might agree if they would have said to her roots, but I think of origins as to where she began and that is with an edgy rock sound when she had black hair and wasn’t a blonde.
This album has a lot of the beats that you hear with traditional Colombian music; it is a combination of island and reggaeton which is apparently where Shakira wants her music and her audience. Boy, do I miss old Shakira. Hey, I even miss the pop style that came from Laundry Service.
I think my favorite track on this album is the song, “Amarillo.” The song is the closest sound to classic pop music within all the tracks on the album. Out of the thirteen tracks, there are only two songs that are sung in English. Back in 2014, her last studio album Shakira. was a complete opposite of the majority of her songs in English with a handful in Spanish. I don’t think that Shakira is as relevant as she once was in the English market, and it is refreshing to see more Spanish music; though it seems that Shakira does alternate heavily between both languages with her album releases.
While I understand that pop music is moving toward a more ethnic feel to it, I still believe true pop music is out there and can make its comeback. Meanwhile, we are stuck with what the record labels and media are calling today’s pop.
Since that day, I have been study Latin pop and rock music and have become a Latin pop music historian through the publishing of articles, fanzine, and websites. My goal is to teach people about Latin pop music and the history behind it with my website, Siempre En Domingo.
- REVIEW: Los Claxons – Caminando En Fuego (2022) - November 6, 2022
- Review: Airbag – Siempre Tropical (2022) - November 6, 2022
- Debut: Thalia – Psycho Bitch - November 6, 2022
I agree on the one song it’s the only one I added to my streaming playlist.