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Musicbox
Hips Don’t Lie
Columbian heartthrob Shakira, the world’s most admired belly dancer, made it to the top through Wherever Whenever eons ago. She is back with her new album, Hips Don’t Lie. Unfortunately, it still speaks of nothing out of the ordinary except for the repeatedly heard blockbusters.
She has pulled out some groundbreaking singles in the past, but it is her albums that never got any hefty attention. Consequently, La Tortura and now Hips Don’t Lie are the two tracks that have made this year meteoric for the singer and songwriter; the latter also winning her the best choreography award at the coveted MTV Video Music Awards. To pull out more brilliant songs from the album, one has to dig real deep before re-stopping at the more familiar ones.
Beginning on a high note, the first on the track list is Hips Don’t Lie, a groovy melodic single featuring Wyclef Jean, where Shakira really gets into her groove. Up next is How Do You Do where skipping the Latin beat, she is settling for rhythm guitars and drums work. “Don’t bother, I will be fine” is the message in her following rock track Don’t Bother, though it is not vastly dissimilar to others, yet definitely more listener friendly.
Hey You comes in next, which builds up a little excitement. Not only does she give funky and flirtatious music in this one but her vocals are sumptuous and wit filled. Something fits to the same sketch: a track which is soft, not her usual style and still sophisticated.
Two ordinary tracks Pared and The One make way to the giant La Tortura which features Alegandro Sanz, part of which is a Spanish incantation sung in Latin, an unstoppable dance floor cadence. Skipping a run-of-the-mill Spanish song brings in Estoy Aqui, bursting with energy. Another track borrowed from the previous album is Underneath Your Clothes. Deceptively low-key, the song unfolds into strings of emotions and confessions, something to spin the album for. Out of the last two, Inevitable and Objection, none is deservingly interesting; one should go right to song no.1 again. —
Tahir Yahya
Love SoundsJustin Timberlake, the most popular property in the English pop arena, is definitely along the way to being crowned as the next pop king after Michael Jackson, in the presence of competitors like Ricky Martin and Enrique.
His new album Future Sex/ Love Sounds has been produced by two of the best producers around: Rick Rubin and Timbaland. Timbaland has had a fantastic year with hits like Nelly Furtado’s Loose under his belt while Rubin enjoyed the success of Slayer’s Christ Illusion. The slow breaks of the title track open up the album, which is a fantastic, club-friendly tune.
We’ve already heard SexyBack’s distorted vocals and humpy razor sounds. Just wait till you hear My Love’s looped time-freezing jam under a smooth R&B groove which lays down a jaw-dropping sexy number. The video sees Timberlake chilling out with pretty ladies in the club as usual and showcasing his dancing abilities.
An interlude follows Love Stoned / I Think She Knows which is entertaining and a must listen track. A tender guitar riff opens another interlude, What Goes Around/ Comes Around, and you’re thinking its Timberlake’s Cry Me A River; but then the beat comes in and it turns into a great track. Losing My Way is an R&B ballad featuring an appealing chorus, a hidden treasure at the tail end of the album.
On the vocal side of things, Timberlake cannot yet compete on the same level as any top R&B stars. Though there is room for improvement, it is true that his talent was being wasted in N Sync. If nothing else, Justin’s new album succeeds in providing us glimpses of the future king of pop. — Shahzeb Shaikh
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