[2001] Shakira Laundry Service

[2001] Shakira Laundry Service preview 0

Title: Laundry Service
Artist: Shakira
Audio CD (November 13, 2001)
Original Release Date: November 13, 2001
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Latin
Format: flac

Track Listing:

01. Objection (Tango)
02. Underneath Your Clothes
03. Whenever, Wherever
04. Rules
05. The One
06. Ready For The Good Times
07. Fool
08. Te Dejo Madrid
09. Poem To A Horse
10. Que Me Quedes Tu
11. Eyes Like Yours (Ojos AsÃ)
12. Suerte (Whenever, Wherever)
13. Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)

Allmusic Review:
The Latin pop and rock en espaÃ±ol fields are full of talented artists who would probably be huge in the English-language market if they didn\'t sing in Spanish exclusively. Some non-Spanish-speaking listeners don\'t mind listening to lyrics they don\'t understand -- the beat and the melody are enough for them -- but many others insist on understanding every word that is coming out of an artist\'s mouth. Thus, Latin stars usually don\'t cross over to English-speaking audiences until they start singing in English, which is what Shakira does on 2001\'s Laundry Service. \"Whenever, Wherever,\" this album\'s infectious lead single, is to Shakira what \"Livin\' la Vida Loca\" was to Ricky Martin: the major hit that brought her to English-speaking audiences in a big way. For Shakira, singing and writing in mostly English was no doubt a challenge -- Spanish, after all, is the Colombian star\'s primary language. But it\'s a challenge that she handles impressively well. Shakira, it turns out, sings quite convincingly in English -- and her creativity is at a high level on melodic, hooky pop/rock like \"Rules\" and \"Ready for the Good Times.\" Like Shakira\'s Spanish-language albums, this self-produced CD is enjoyably eclectic; she successfully combines pop/rock with everything from tango on \"Objection\" and Andean music on \"Whenever, Wherever\" to Middle Eastern music on \"Eyes Like Yours\" (which contains lyrics by Gloria Estefan and is an English translation of Shakira\'s late-\'90s smash, \"Ojos AsÃ\"). While nine of Laundry Service\'s 13 tracks are in English, four are in Spanish (including Spanish translations of \"Whenever, Wherever\" and \"Objection\"). And by including these four tracks, Shakira seems to be assuring her Spanish-speaking fans that she hasn\'t abandoned them. DÃ³nde EstÃ¡n los Ladrones? remains Shakira\'s most essential album, but Laundry Service is an excellent English-language debut for the South American vocalist.

Amazon Review:
Colombian superstar Shakira\'s first English-language disc, Laundry Service, carries the pointed credit \"Entire Album Produced by Shakira.\" That might be a signal to U.S. fans who helped two of her previous discs go platinum under the media radar -- a sign that this planned breakthrough has more to offer than the input of a score of image makers and outside writers. And it does; even the occasional clunky lyric comes directly from her overflowing heart. Laundry Service\'s meld of danceable pop and rockier ideas and textures follows the similar path of the singer-songwriter\'s previous work. Indeed, for all its high-end production values, the record is ultimately one of the least glossy crossover vehicles imaginable. Despite an occasional lean toward Celine Dion territory (\"Underneath Your Clothes\"), it has a freshness that\'s sure to win over new listeners even after the first single, the sly \"Whenever, Wherever,\" has reached the saturation point. While still not fully formed as an artist, she\'s getting close to something of her own -- something that may flower after she dumps the vocal Alanis-isms. For now, it\'s still a pleasure to watch her grow.