Shakira's Inventiveness Shines in Sale El Sol

Shakira is well known not only for her hips but also constant experimentation which is seen in everything from the color of her hair to the sound in her songs.

In her latest album Sale El Sol [amazon B004624N6K thumbnail], it is apparent in some of her songs that she is trying to come back to her roots in order to bring back her former fans. You know, those roots where she sang more of latino rock with guitar, or love ballads with piano, and with more passion in her voice. The songs that would fit that nostalgic category are "Antes De las Seis", "Lo Que Mas", "Devocion", and "Tu Boca". However, even those songs have inventive parts. "Antes De Las Seis" begins with its melody played in a Chinese string instrument (don't know which one) while "Devocion" uses an electric piano.

Not only exotic instruments surprise the listener, but also a different lexicon. Shakira got inspired to sing Spanish other than the traditional Colombian Spanish in "Loca", "Gordita", and "Rabiosa" because of her travels to the Dominican Republic. In "Loca" her newly acquired Dominican slang blends in well with the original singer of the song, el Cata. Rabiosa can be considered a sibling to "Loca" because of their similarity. Now, "Gordita", I must say, is a very radical mix between Dominican hip hop, or rap, and a love ballad. Yes a love ballad very similar to the one Shakira wrote for a movie adaptation of Garcia Marquez' "El Amor en los Tiempos de Colera": "Hay Amores". The lyrics are different but the melody and the mood are very similar. This song surprised me the most. In addition, all these songs are very danceable.

The two songs I didn't mention, did not impress me as much. "Islands" echoes the typical songs from Shakira's former anglophone albums like Oral Fixation. "Mariposas" sounds like just another ordinary Latino Pop album.

As a whole, this album turned out very unique compared to every previous album: a successfull experiment. Her album is full of emotions on the opposite end like happiness and sadness. It is still easy to connect to for any listener despite the inventiveness.