Shakira Is Back On Amazing New Album

Latin superstar Shakira released her tenth album and the self-titled record is great. It redeems her after her last two albums 2009's She Wolf and 2010's Sale el Sol. While each record had a few great songs, the rest didn't hold up. On Shakira, Shakira makes up for lost time.
The album is a very experimental affair. Whether channeling No Doubt on the reggae and ska inspired first single "Can't Remember to Forget You" which features Rihanna and on "Cut Me Deep" which features Canadian reggae rock band Magic! or going country on "Medicine" with Blake Shelton, Shakira gets the job done.
Shakira also gets back to the world of rock music on this album. Her last few albums had Shakira hiding her rocker side but on songs like "Empire" she's back to rocking out. Her album is also very pop oriented. "The One Thing" is a poppy ode to her son. Also she recalls her Latin music roots on tracks like "You Don't Care About Me" and "Loca por Ti," one of the album's songs that is sung in Spanish.
Her songs reflects the happiness of her relationship with Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué. "23" recalls the beginning of their relationship as it was the age he was when they met. "Broken Record" is an adorable song that  addresses the feeling of being in love."Spotlight" is about finding love with Piqué in the public eye and how she knows that he loves her for who she is and not how much money she has. It is one of the album's best songs and showcases a heavy rock vibe.
The other best song on the album is "Dare (La La La)." This song is a dance-pop anthem with an electronic sound that mixes in Brazilian instrumentation. The song is the most mainstream and poppy song on the record. This song is surely meant to be a huge hit single. 
Shakira is one of Shakira's best albums and  one of the best pop albums of the year so far. If this is any indication of how the rest of 2014's pop albums will be, we're in for a treat.