Shakira - Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Personnel Shakira (background vocals). Recording information Air Studios, London, England; Church Of The Ephiphany, Miami, FL; Fantasy Studios, San Francisco, CA; Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL; Ike's Garage, Miami, FL; La Marimonda, Nassau, Bahamas; Olympic Studios, London, England; Platinum Recording Studio, New York, NY; Skyline Studios, New York, NY; Sonido Azulado, Bogota, Colombia; Supersonic Studios, Miami, FL; The Warehouse, Vancouver, BC; Unisono, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photographer Jaume DeLaiguana. Colombian pop superstar Shakira has accomplished two remarkable commercial feats thus far in her career she has crossed over almost completely from the Latin pop market, and she has managed to cross-reference a vast array of pop styles that go well beyond mere south-of-the-border divides. On ORAL FIXATION VOL. 2, her fourth album since her 1998 breakthrough DONDE ESTAN LOS LADRONES?, Shakira once again fearlessly mixes angst-ridden alt-rock with touches of melodic singer-songwriter soul-baring and dance pop so infectious it's hard not to imagine the singer shimmying along in the studio. While 2001's LAUNDRY SERVICE featured English-language vocals for the first time, ORAL FIXATION VOL. 2 is sung entirely in English (VOL. 1 is the Spanish-language version). Some might cry sell-out, but that's a tough rap to make stick when it's clear that Shakira, who is considerably more of an individual than most pop divas, genuinely wants her music to speak to as broad an audience of music lovers as possible. Tracks like InchAnimal CityInch and InchCostume Makes the ClownInch are fierce, contemporary pop-rockers, while InchYour EmbraceInch and InchIllegalInch (featuring the ubiquitous Carlos Santana) are confessional, acoustic pop numbers that wouldn't feel out of place on a Meredith Brooks album. InchTimorInch is not only a reminder that Shakira is never far from the da