She Wolf by Shakira
She Wolf (Spanish: Loba) is the eighth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, released on October 9, 2009, by Epic Records and Sony Music Latin. As executive producers, Shakira and Amanda Ghost enlisted collaborators including The Neptunes, John Hill, Wyclef Jean, Lukas Burton, Future Cut, Jerry Duplessis and Timbaland. Musically, the record shifts from her traditional Latin pop and pop rock musical styles, instead exploring electropop, with influences of folk and world music. Four singles were released from the album. Its lead single "She Wolf", along with its Spanish-language version "Loba", was a commercial success and reached the top ten in several countries. "Did It Again" (along with its Spanish-language version "Lo Hecho Está Hecho") was released worldwide as the second single, except in the United States, where its release was substituted by "Give It Up to Me"; both singles attained moderate commercial success. "Gypsy", along with its Spanish-language version "Gitana", was released as the fourth and final single off the album and was commercially successful. Shakira embarked on The Sun Comes Out World Tour in late-2010 to promote She Wolf. Upon its release, She Wolf was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented the unusual and distinguished nature of the album. The album debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 89,000 copies in the United States. In doing so, it became Shakira's first studio album to miss peaking inside the top ten of the chart, since Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). The album proved more successful elsewhere, reaching number one on the charts of Argentina, Ireland, Italy, Mexico and Switzerland. It also charted inside the top five of countries like Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom. She Wolf was certified double-platinum in Colombia and Mexico, platinum in Italy and Spain, and gold in countries like France and the United Kingdom. She Wolf has reportedly sold more than two million copies worldwide.
Shakira has never been a stranger to dance music. On early albums like <i>Pies Descalzos</i> and <i>Dónde Están Los Ladrones</i>, house music was often woven into sunny Latin pop and buzzing rock guitars—while reggaetón has remained a significant staple of her catalogue since the runaway success of “La Tortura”, in 2005. But for her eighth studio album, <i>She Wolf</i> (2009), the Colombian superstar found fresh inspiration in hedonistic electronic music. Seduced by the bass, she was eager to get lost with her fans on the dance floor. To accomplish her sprawling nightclub fantasy, Shakira enlisted songwriting partners and visionary beatmakers who melded hip-hop, disco and electro-pop with Middle Eastern strings, samba drums, and more. The throbbing title track was also the album's lead single, conceived alongside The Bravery singer Sam Endicott and featuring a sensual, surrealistic music video complete with crystal-covered caves and asymmetrical mirrored bodysuits. Endicott's post-punk background also influenced “Men In This Town”, where a disappointed Shakira bemoans a dismaying lack of quality suitors over saturated electroclash synths. Shakira also found a kindred spirit in Pharrell Williams, who co-wrote four of the album's songs, including singles “Good Stuff” and “Did It Again”, bringing R&B, ‘90s hip-hop and The Neptunes' signature percussion to the mix. The hip-hop influence is all over <i>She Wolf</i>; the hammering “Did It Again” got the remix treatment from Kid Cudi, and a notable feature from Lil Wayne on “Give It Up to Me” produced one of the album's biggest stateside hits. Instead of splitting the English and Spanish renditions of each song into separate albums—as Shakira had done on <i>Fijación Oral, Vol. 1<i> and <i>Oral Fixation, Vol. 2</i>—the <i>She Wolf (Deluxe Version)</i> includes translated tracks, live recordings and even a Making Of clip. For the Spanish versions of “She Wolf”, “Did It Again” and “Why Wait”, she enlisted Academy Award-winning Uruguayan singer and composer Jorge Drexler, who helped round out the poetry that has become so integral to the pop star's mythos. </i></i>
