Pies Descalzos

Shakira | Format: Audio CD
 

Pies Descalzos (Audio CD) If you are acquainted with the album 'Dondé están los Ladrones', this album may still surprise you. If your only previous experience of Shakira's music is the singles taken from her most recent release 'Laundry Service', then this could come as a shock.
Like 'Dondé...' it is entirely in Spanish, but this time her distinctive, versatile and emotive vocals are set against a largely acoustic background. Occasionally the more robust 'rock' influences, so much in evidence on the later albums, are detectable (in fact, Estoy Aquí, the opening track on this album appears again on 'Dondé...'. At others she seems to be heading towards the realms of acoustic folk. If that wasn't enough, the tracks 'Un Poco de Amor' and 'Vuelve' have influences as strange as they are inventive.

I heard Shakira interviewed on the radio recently. Talking about 'Laundry Service', she said that her songs had a mix of styles and influences. That is true of all the albums, so she is certainly truthfully consistent - consistently unpredictable. 'Pies Descalzos' was written seven years ago, and though this album is unlikely to become a bestseller now, at least it is available to us. It is certainly worthwhile listening, and far more than a warm-up act for someone who has just recently become headline news over here.
In any case it is her third solo album - though as far as I know, the first two 'Pelligro' and 'Magia' have never seen the light of day over here.
I hope she hasn't forgotten how to write songs like the best of those on this album. The diversity of her songwriting and the music which complements it can, combined with her vocals, be breathtaking.