I have an enormous respect for musicians with artistic integrity. I save my scorn for performers who never write their own material, who can't play an instrument to save their life, and who even lip-synch at live performances -- if they stoop to doing shows at all. I save my respect for people like Shakira, who can do it all. Shakira is very much a hands-on artist who writes most of her own material, and who has produced her recent discs. While many of the songs on Pies Descalzos are collaborations between Shakira and Luis Ochoa, they still convey the deeply impassioned, almost poetic, lyrical depth that is Shakira's hallmark.
Shakira seems to want to be a big pop star, at least that's the way it seems judging on her Laundry Service release, but I have this nagging doubt in my mind about whether or not that is really where she wants to go. I suspect that her friends and business associates tell her to follow the money, but that her soul tells her she should be marching to the beat of her own drummers -- that she should be doing discs more like Donde Estan los Ladrones and Pies Descalzos -- that she should be true to her artistic roots. Her intelligence and her song-writing skills remind me very much of Guatemalan singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona, who seems to have a powerful sense of self and of integrity, never mind which way the winds of pop fashion may blow. I suspect Shakira's soul guides her the way Arjona's does...
This is all just feeling and opinion, you understand. There's little on this CD that would justify that kind of conclusion, other than Shakira's passionate delivery and her singing skills. Thematically, this CD is fairly straightforward with a lot of seemingly simplistic songs of teen love and heartbreak. Not particularly earth shattering, but what is noteworthy is the almost literary approach that Shakira takes in her songwriting with innovative devices and word choices. And while most of the CD is simplistic, there is at least one monkey wrench thrown into the machine: the song Se Quiere Se Mata.
Se Quiere Se Mata is a troubling, dark toned song that explores the emotional issue of abortion -- a question that faces a lot of teenage girls, and a decision that's sure to bring both moral indignity and censure as well as troubled understanding and empathy. Shakira displays her conservative Catholic upbringing in this song, which sparks the powder keg of controversy.
Big, Bold, and Otherwise Noteworthy... Pies Descalzos kicks up the volume to overdrive right off the bat with Shakira's first big hit: Estoy Aqui. Although she's re-done this song, this version is actually my favorite. It's a little rougher, but also more passionate. I like the folksy, almost acoustic sound that this song conveys. When I listen to Estoy Aqui I almost feel like I've been transported to a cozy little bar with worn brick floors, rustic wood furnishings, a haze of blue smoke, a cool pint of fresh ale, and hot soloists that the recording industry has yet to take note of.
Estoy Aqui reminds me of the folksy blues tinged sound of female vocalists like Bonnie Raitt, or maybe even Joni Mitchell. Shakira shows enormous passion on this song, and I love the wide dynamic range of the vocals and the bursts of staccato delivery that remind me of the blistering pace of house-rockin' hits like Thalia's Arrasando.
This CD shows a wide range of influences and musical styles. In some places, the songs are unmistakably rock and roll, and they show influences from great girl bands of the 1980s. In other places, the songs sound like 90's R&B tracks, with a smoother, mellower sound. Te Espero Sentado mixes things up with some soft jazz influence, and there's simply no mistaking the powerful reggae influence on Un Poco de Amor, with its sing-song chorus and the steady pounding bongo drums -- take me back to Jamaica!
It's kind of funny how people seem to have locked on to the way that Alanis Morissette seems to emulate the warbling vocal sound of Shakira, but I'm shocked that people don't seem to pick up the Tracy Chapman sound. In my opinion, at least 3 of the songs on this CD bear a powerful resemblance to Chapman's impassioned vocal delivery. Take a listen to Te Necesito -- I think the Chapman resemblance on that track is simply unmistakable and while it shows up later on songs like Te Espero Sentada, it's sometimes a bit more subtle.
When you listen to almost any Shakira CD, you hear echoes of her classic rock influences as well as those of 80s and 90s alternative rock artists. On tunes like Pies Descalzos Suenos Blancos, I hear echoes of Chrissie Hynde or Deborah Harry, on Vuelve I hear some Pat Benatar influence, but most notably, I pick up a strong resemblance to the heavy guitar sound that marks Mexican rocker Alejandra Guzman -- and that's not a bad role model to have, in my opinion.
I mentioned that Se Quiere Se Mata is a song about abortion, but the song is a powerhouse track not just because of the hot topic button it pushes, but for its catchy beat, and strong vocals. What I like best about this track is the bouncy, synth-driven keyboard opening that sounds like a take-off of the Hooter's hit tune And We Danced. I can't help but want to start singing along..."she was a be-bop baby on a hard day's night..."
Trackin' the Tracks... Pies Descalzos comprises eleven tracks and 41 minutes of music. Here's what you'll hear:
1. Estoy Aqui 2. Antologia 3. Un Poco de Amor 4. Quiero 5. Te Necesito 6. Vuelve 7. Te Espero Sentada 8. Pies Descalzos Sueños Blancos 9. Pienso en Ti 10. Donde Estas Corazon 11. Se Quiere Se Mata
Bottom Line
I like Pies Descalzos. I like it a lot!
I like that it's not over polished and over produced, and I like that it has an almost acoustic rusticness to it that makes it sound impromptu, unrehearsed, and utterly natural -- some of the same qualities that make live albums so attractive to me. I like that this album represents Shakira when she was youthful and exuberant and unafraid to take some risks. Artistically, I still think Donde Estan los Ladrones is Shakira's masterpiece to date, but I'd probably put Pies Descalzos at 2nd (running neck and neck with 3rd best Unplugged).
Some people say that Shakira's Unplugged album is better than this one, and I understand where they are coming from since that album has newer material that's more varied thematically, but in my opinion, I would rather listen to Pies Descalzos. It's a little rough at the edges, but that's why I think it's more impassioned and more interesting.
A definite "must buy" for any Shakira fan, and a good look at the artist's roots from her "pre-cross-over-fake-blonde-black-vinyl-disco-pants" era (which is now).
Until next time, see you in the music store. As always, you'll find me in the Latin Music aisle.
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