Laundry Service in Bloomington, MN

The
Latin pop
and
rock en espanol
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
what
"Livin' la Vida Loca"
was to
Ricky Martin
: the major hit that brought her to English-speaking audiences in a big way. For
, 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.
, it turns out, sings quite convincingly in English -- and her creativity is at a high level on melodic, hooky
pop/rock
like
"Rules"
"Ready for the Good Times."
Like
's Spanish-language albums, this self-produced CD is enjoyably eclectic; she successfully combines
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
's late-'90s smash,
"Ojos Asi"
). While nine of
's 13 tracks are in English, four are in Spanish (including Spanish translations of
). And by including these four tracks,
seems to be assuring her Spanish-speaking fans that she hasn't abandoned them.
Donde Estan los Ladrones?
remains
's most essential album, but
is an excellent English-language debut for the South American vocalist. ~ Alex Henderson