REVIEW: SHAKIRA - SHE WOLF

International pop sensation Shakira's third English studio album She Wolf is everything Madonna's Hard Candy should have been. Sorry, Madonna. This album has Shakira picking-up where massive worldwide hit Hips Don't Lie left off - a sound that is rhythmic and urban with a nod to her Latin/Arabic roots. She keeps things melodic and cohesive with zero filler on the album. Each of the 9 English tracks, and 3 Spanish translations belong on the album.

The album's electropop first single She Wolf has been well-reviewed, needing little introduction. It has already reached the Top Five in Canada and the UK; it is a fraction of a millimetre from cracking the Top Ten in America. The gems just keep coming one after the other, with a Pharrell Williams-produced three-peat led by confirmed second single Did It Again. Musically, the track sounds like something that came off Gwen Stefani's epic Love.Angel.Music. Baby album but it is Shakira's lyrical metre that gives the track that extra bit of uniqueness other artists might not possess. Long Time is reminiscent of Hips Don't Lie and I could not help but want to dance along to the bongos and throbbing bassline at first listen. Why Wait sounds like some of Williams' earlier work with Britney Spears during her I'm A Slave For U era. Men In This Town asks amusingly, where all the real men are since Matt Damon isn't for Shakira. This proves that even gorgeous women have it tough. There is only one ballad on the album and it is co-written with Beyoncé collaborator Amanda Ghost. Sitar-driven Gypsy beautifully tells us how Shakira has transcended beyond the hurt in her life and I bought it completely. One of the She Wolf's best tracks is presented late and it is an homage to Off The Wall-era Michael Jackson Wyclef Jean collaboration Spy. Mon Amour is the last of the English tracks on the album and it is a reminder to us that Shakira was indeed a bona fide rock star before she decided to try her hand at dance pop.

Listen to a full version of Did It Again (courtesy of Sony/BMG) below:

Shakira's She Wolf will be released November 17, 2009 in North America. I can say without hesitation that it is one of the best female pop albums to be released this year. I am delighted and actually would consider seeing her on tour based on the strength of this new material alone. Grade: A-