...but I thought this album was boring.

No seriously. I'm a huge Shakira fan. We're both from the same town in Colombia.
I've been trying to get American audiences to listen to her for years, and no one was happier than I when she finally hit.
I belong to the fan club.
She had me at "Hello."

I really enjoyed "Fijacion Oral, Vol.1", and I naturally assumed I was gonna love this too. I even said so in my Amazon review way back when. But I slipped this into my car CD player, and...

...nothing.

I mean sure, it's impeccably produced and played, and I love her voice with all its' quirks and swoops. She could sing my tax form and I'd love it.

But nothing jumped out as being "awesome" or "amazing"...things I've come to expect with each of her releases. Beginning with "Pies Descalzos", she has compiled a staggering catalog of quality albums. Even her Unplugged disc is one of the best they've ever done.

"Don't Bother" is a weak single. The first one off this record should have been "bigger", yet I don't know which other one to pick.
There are a couple of interesting things on the album...I mean, this isn't by any means a BAD record...it's just not nearly as good as anything else she's done in years.

Carlos Santana's cameo in "Illegal" is typically nice. The two Spanish-to-English conversions work, for the most part...actually I think "Something" improves on its' predecessor.

But the melodies aren't as catchy...overall, the songs themselves just aren't as good as on Volume 1.

I waited so long for this record...it just bums me out that I'm going to have to wait that much longer for the next one...

Shakira fans will have to have this...no question. I would have bought this record even if I read that this was the worst album since "Glitter". But this is not going to add any fans to her already immense following...

No-one can accuse Shakira (real name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) of being a run of the mill Latin pop artiste. Her voice can be picked out from across a room, and those dance moves – you’d have to be visually impaired not to notice her.

There’s a reason for her popularity, and in this English language follow up to Fijacíon Oral Vol.1 (June 2005), she proves that she can keep her English-speaking fan base happy too.

Dramatically starting off with a choral rendition of a section of “The Lord’s Prayer”, “How Do You Do” is definitely one to watch, and first single “Don’t Bother” is about losing a lover to an admittedly better woman in all areas but one.

“I’m sure she doesn’t know
How to touch you like I would
I beat her at that one good
Don’t you think so?”

Chock full of great songs, she follows up the first two songs with “Illegal” featuring Carlos Santana, and “The Day and the Time” with Gustavo Cerati. “Animal City” and “Dreams for Plans” are also good, “Hey You” is a bundle of retro fun, and then she turns down the pace for “Your Embrace” and “Something”. Just to make sure you know your rest break is over after the last few songs, she hits you with the dance track “Timor” as a grande finale.

This is an oral fixation that will have you begging for more.


Amanda Richards, November 29, 2005

...if you want Shakira's latest, "Hips Don't Lie", you can get it "free" from her website IF you have this CD. But be willing to go through tons of hassles, not to mention installing spyware from Sony ONLY to be able to hear the tune on that one computer!

Come on, Shakira, treat your fans with more respect than that!

The question with Shakira is this. She is cute, but can she sing? Can she really contribute something good to the music world. Well, yes and no. Can she contibute something? Definately. Her sound on this album is adding something to the music landscape. It is definately different from the R&B pop world we currently live in. Way to go! However, she is also contributing to the continual objectifying of women. Men are happy she is. It seems most women are glad she is commfortable with her sexuality. Whatever the case, this has been going on forever in the music industry, and always will. madonna has made an entire career of showing more and more of her sexuality to sell record after record. But Madonna also puts out some dang good music. Does Shakira do the same? I say yes. She has some great music on this album. Surely enough to catch the publics attention again, and surely pop enough to find it's way on the radio.

I feel this album as Vol.1 shows maturity and digs deeper with issues/conflicts we go through in our lives. Betrayal, society, love, etc. Although she is seen as a pop artist, her love for rock is seen throughout bringing back retro rock sounds and mixing them with her own style.