Laundry Service

I had never heard of Shakira before she released this cross-over English album, but it took less than a second for me to become a fan. I first encountered Shakira's name atop a list of most popular videos and wondered who in the world this performer was. The Whenever, Wherever video totally blew me away; I admit it took a couple of viewings for me to get past her beauty and all of those amazing little moves and shakes she has perfected, but pretty quickly I realized that the song in and of itself was addictive. Soon I was watching both the English and Spanish videos of the song, eagerly awaiting the moment when a CD full of Shakira's music would find its way to my stereo. As someone not very familiar with Latin music, this album brings a whole new type of sound into my world, and my appreciation and interest in this style has grown immeasurably as a result of my buying this album. My respect for Shakira likewise grew in leaps and bounds as I learned more about her, such as the...Read more

First of all, I want to comment on critics who say the meaning is lost in translation on "Laundry Service." Some critics have attempted to compare "Laundry Service" with her former work. It is true that the brilliant "Donde Estan Los Ladrones," is her most outstanding work thus far. In fact it is pure brilliance.

But you cannot compare these two albums!! "Donde Estan Los Ladrones," was fully done in a romance language that can be fully appreciated: Espanol (Spanish). While the majority of the tracks in "Laundry Service" were done in her newly-found language: English. Last, music is universal, and musicians share with the world the talent that emanates from them, so while her music may not be at its best in a new language, her effort is inspiring.

That said, Laundry Service stands all on its own as an awesome, eclectic fresh debut from a very beautiful singing, creative and awe inspiring artist; Shakira. Note that on the back of the CD is says, "Entire album produced by Shakira."...Read more

Let me get out of the way several aspects I have NO concern about, that being an artist's crossover aspirations and what language they sing in. None of that matters as long as the music itself demonstrates heart, soul, and ambition. As for Shakira, I'm a fan of her last two albums, and find that her artistic vision on LAUNDRY SERVICE has in no way been sidetracked by the words "crossover" or "language"...in fact, she seems to be solidly moving forward as an artist!

Shakira's voice is passionate and original (NOT an Alanis clone!), her lyrics are intriguing, and the song arrangements continue to balance rock, pop, dance, soul, and the subtle regional touches that one would expect by an artist born in Columbia. The songs are mostly brand new, although there is an English version of my all-time favorite Shakira track "Ojos Asi" (titled "Eyes Like Yours"), and two versions of the wonderful track "Suerte."

Contrary to another...Read more