The Columbian fruitcake first gyrated onto the international pop scene in 2001, hypnotising the male species with her idiosyncratic observations, raunchy belly dancing and, err, “humble breasts”.
That year alone Laundry Service, her first English speaking album, sold over 10 millions copies, thanks largely to the global smash hit ‘Whenever, Wherever’.
Shakira is unquestionably the most famous female Latin artist right now (excluding one Jenny from the block, of course). However, due to an ill conceived marketing campaign her latest opus, Oral Fixation Vol. 2, has failed to set the world alight in the commercial sense.
Hence ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, a hastily arranged duet with singer-songwriter and sometime rent-a-rapper Wyclef Jean, which aims to boost flagging sales.
The track was not part of the original edition of Oral Fixation Vol. 2, and is only available on the forthcoming re-release.
They say:
Savvy Chick: “With her catchy beats and lyrics, you’ll be up and moving to the beat of this fabulous new song.”
JoeUser: “The aimless ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ is a waste of Shakira’s talents.”
We say:
If ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ sounds overly familiar to you that’s because it’s a reworking of Wyclef Jean’s own ‘Dance Like This’, which was written for 2004’s box office dud Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and featured City High singer Claudette Ortiz on shared vocal duty.
And much like its original incarnation, this Haitian meets Columbian flavoured dance number is in dire need of Viagra to give it some oomph.
The Latin booty shaker, meanwhile, could perhaps do with an enema. Here she sounds uncharacteristically meek and uninspired, her Spanish accented vocal performance easily overpowered by Wyclef’s relatively sexless delivery.
On paper this should have been a scintillating and spicy affair, but in reality it’s remarkably tame. Not even the political concerns for Columbian and Haitian refugees (“No more do we snatch ropes/ Refugees run the seas ‘cause we own our own boats”) can lift it above the realm of background music.
Great video, though.
Like this? Try these:
Shakira & Alejandro Sanz – La Tortura
Black Eyed Peas – Pump It
RELEASED
Out now
LABEL
RCA
POSTED...
Thu 8 Jun 2006 at 12:54am
