23.8.09

Shakira - She Wolf, NOT!!

A week or two ago, Shakira's new video for the her first single, the title track, from her soon to be released album, She Wolf, was debuted on VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown. It was not in the countdown, just aired in the middle of it. In an introductory interview, Shakira said that she tapped into the spirit of the she wolf (la loba) for her "Wolf Cage" performance.

There was absolutely nothing wolf-like in any of her performance. The "cage" routine had her in a nude coloured body suit and she slithered and swung around like a novice cage dancer at some seedy go-go joint. The other dancing performances that were intermingled with it in the video were extremely weak, lame and just plain awful.

Moving onto her vocals, the verses were like a parody of her usual powerful performances and only occassionally did one hear her unique vocal style come through. When the prechorus started, I kept waiting for her to sing, I want to dance on your disco stick, a la Lady Gaga. The chorus itself sound more like she was whining the words in a futile attempt to sound ominous.

If this lead single is her best forward for her exploration into Electro-pop and Dance Hall, than she may be in trouble. I am sure that legions of loyal fans will greedily snap it up, but I won't be one of them, this time.

Here's the Official Video hosted on MTV.