Shakira - Don't Bother (Epic)

In the preview to the other half of Shakira's dual Oral Fixation albums, Shakira proves her ability to transcend Latin pop when singing in English and take mainstream pop to uncharted waters. She has mastered a unique, idiosyncratic style that fascinates as well as entertains.

Listen to "Don't Bother."

Rate it yourself.

If you crossed the yearning, brooding vocals of Siouxsie Sioux from Siouxsie and the Banshees with the histrionic intensity of Alanis Morissette you might get something that sounded a bit like Shakira. However, by shunning the gothic atmosphere of Siouxsie and the sheer wordiness of Alanis, Shakira stakes out her own unique ground among all of today's pop vocalists. It is a style that adds welcome intensity and anticipation to all of Shakira's work.

Last spring Shakira released a Spanish-language album titled Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 with plans for an English counterpart 6 months later. Now, with Oral Fixation Vol. 2 on the way, she has released "Don't Bother" as an appetizer for the main course of the new album. It appears that just as much as Fijacion Oral fully embraced Latin pop, Oral Fixation will be rooted firmly in mainstream English-speaking pop music.

For all of the drama of the music, "Don't Bother" is no slouch on the lyrical front either. It is a unique approach to the story of a woman boldly facing rejection while not completely resigned to failure. The protagonist stumbles from bold independence in a spoken word bridge promising to "move to a Communist country" if the intended wants and "learn about football." This unexpected intimate vulnerability is just one example of a moment that makes Shakira's music more engaging than standard pop material.