by Malcolm Spurlock
​After her World Cup anthem “Waka Waka” Shakira finally releases her newest album “Sale el Sol”, still demonstrating her bold and global mindset in the music industry. Like a breath of fresh air Shakira’s music feels real. Her new bright, upbeat album opens up a window allowing her culture and background to breeze softly into every track, separating her from other top chart artists. She is able to keep everything light, easy and consistent without ever making her songs feel misplaced or over worked

“I’m crazy, but you like it,” is a line straight out of Shakira’s new single, “Loca” preparing us for the next level of musical talent that will come from her newest album. She has moved away from the “She Wolf” era, an album which to be more or less forgotten. However, at first glance Sale el Sol may sound like the original work that make her at the forefront of Latino-pop, lightly kissed by other genres within her tracks. The album features some fantastic dance songs, which are absolutely infectious and impossible not to move along to. “Loca”, “Addicted To You”, “Gordita”, and “Rabiosa” are very fast paced, full of energy, and seemly fit to be played in any club.

Though, the album is also able to slow down with ballads to show off Shakira’s range like “Antes de las Seis” and “Lo Que Mas”. Though, a personal favorite of the album is “Devocion” a techno- rock with a U2 feel. Even non-Spanish speakers can sing along with any of her melodious tracks.

Her album balances it’s self perfectly. It is very comparable to the concepts of Taylor Swift, in where a song presented for every situation dealing with the heart and each track ties in perfect with the theme of the album.
However, Shakira delivers a strong presence of self-confidents and individuality, which can be felt by all listeners, fan or not. This is the secret ingredient to the addictive, engaging music, which can have all toes tapping 30 seconds into one of her energetic songs. Sale el Sol manages to bridge the divide between the old and new Shakira with a spark that keeps you listening to the very end. 

Sounding like her original work is not the same as being her original work. She has grown as an artist and is able to take the ideas that made her famous and evolve on them. Sale El Sol is a beautiful set of songs that reminds us how diverse Shakira is. She is not afraid to explore different musical styles and this album is a perfect example. Shakira demonstrates that she will not settle with only one style and will keep pushing herself to explore other areas of the music industry.