Don't tell your hip friends you like Shakira
585700
I'm a little embarrassed to admit this... but I really like this album!  You see, I'm a "Radiohead" and "Portishead" kind of guy and if it gets out that I like Shakira, my reputation in shot!

I'm sort of kidding... I actually appreciate a good pop song and this album is wonderful pop.

WEAKNESSES:

The lyrics can be simplistic, at times, but this is offset by the serious topics Shakira sings about. Hers is a kind of post-post-feminism in that she complains about being a sex object but still wants to be one. Most of the songs are sad.

The album also suffers a little from over-production so some of the songs have just too much stuff going on.

STRENGTHS:

OK, that's the criticism. What's good about this album?

Shakira is a good singer and takes advantage of her dual culture background -- Latino and Arabic. It's more Latino but with enough Arabic to avoid the boring formulas of so much Latino music.

She brings her sexuality but without overpowering the music as happens in her videos.  Yes, it's sensual but in a PG sort of way... which is my preference rather than the explicit lyrics of, let's say, Pink.

She makes good use of guest musicians, like Santana.

It is a good full album ... not just a good single with other songs tacked on.  It holds up under repeated listening and, for me, my favorite cut changed as I got more familiar with the album. I really like that in an album.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you like pop music sung by a sexy woman, buy this album.

Just don't tell your hip friends!
2135218
I'm not a fan ...sorry fan base.

She slur's the lyric so badly I can understand her maybe 25 percent of time. I've ask friend and family to listen and tell me some of the lyric; its not happening.

If she could supply the actual words to every song she sings, she might sell more music. I can't recommend this album or anything done by her. I like the music intro's before she kicks in thou.

Save your money.
778261
Really love the cadence of this song. Really wish it wasn't about a druggy who has sex for drugs.... Not suitable to be listening to with an 8 year old in the car unless you want to have an awkward talk...
2425869
Lauryn Hill is the next Stevie Wonder in my opinion.  Her songwriting is soulful and smart.  But her rapping, after listening to it for awhile, is irritating! I love Hip Hop, but I don't think that Lauryn has the voice for  it.  "That Thing" and "Cant keep my eyes off of you"  are my particular favorites, but after those two and a few others, I turn  the CD off.  I am one of the few reviewers on this page who wishes Lauryn  would stick to singin and leave the Hip Hop to someone who can really flow.
1487304
C'mon, what is she thinking? Why split this into two CDs when it could have easily fit on one? So she has an alter ego. That accounts for the sassy, danceable, hip-hoppish vibe of the "Sasha Fierce" cd, and the Beyonce cd is more top 40, poppy, with ballads? Uhh excuse me, but don't all of her albums alternate between pop, r&b, and ballads? This amounts to nothing more than a gimmick. And the "Sasha" side just sounds like noise. "Single Ladies" sounds like "Crazy In Love" part 2,(I don't like and I wish she'd put a sock in it!) All the rest (Radio, Diva) are hard to tell apart. The lone exception is "Sweet Dreams", which is more dance oriented than the rest of the album. The Beyonce cd does have some nice ballads, (Halo and If I Were A Boy) so all is not lost with this CD. But who would have thought that ex-Destiny Child member, Michelle Williams would put out the better album this year? Just sayin....
4395262
What I mean by that is, her first album she did called "Can't Take Me Home" had songs that sound more like hip/hop r&b. Like Pink was a black woman. Songs like "Most Girls", "There You Go", and some others. That's how she started out but as she got famous and did other ablums her songs sound different more like alternative rock. It's ok to change your image a little bit but she should think how she got famous. This ablum "I'm Not Dead", with the song "Stupid Girl" is a great hip/hop dance. I mean that's the Pink we remember when she made her debute. I wish this ablum was sold at Wal-Mart, like they can't sell cds with the [Parential Advisory]logos.
3009033
There is no doubt that these songs are good, and that Tasha Cobbs is talented. However, I cannot support Tasha as an artist because of her lyric "Break the chain of homosexuality" in the song Break Every Chain. Was that lyric necessary?? Christianity is supposed to be about inclusion, and not exclusion. Any LGBT person listening to that song may feel hurt. We should not turn away our LGBT brothers and sisters, we should instead include them, especially when they are nurturing their relationship with Jesus. God knows there are non-LGBT people who have turned away from him. Sexuality has nothing to do with how Godly one lives their life. Tasha should apologize to her LGBT brothers and sisters and strive to stay away from unnecessary lyrics in her songs and sermons.
3675583
This is a song that will put hair on your chest, hair on your upper lip, and a bulge in your pants. Be careful!
4180468
Okay, Christina Aguilera's Stripped is a worthwhile cd to own.  However, there is a lot of sexual talk.  My favourite songs include Beautiful and Fighter.
1172630
What a superwoman Shakira is.

She can sing. She can dance. She can move her hips without moving the rest of her body. She has blonde hair. She has a good heart. She is one of a kind.

I would never think and find another famous songstress who makes me feel the same way Shakira does.

I am sorry but I think that Britney Spears, Beyonce, and even J. Lo together have nothing on Shakira.
743334
There are two general types of people who care enough about Britney's albums to comment on them:

1. The music snobs who have never been to a club in their lives, and who think fashion is an extra large pocket protector (these people are usually scared of relationships, read "The New York Times", and go to film festivals); you know, the Kids in the Hall Daryl types who want to rock to REM and an oompah band playing Mozart while they sip tea because they are threatened by sensual music. Oh, they'll listen to Katy Perry because she is young enough to not be threatening to them, and also ... her music is about as interesting as a mocha at Starbucks.

These are the people, 99 percent of the time men, who liked Britney when she sang "Oops! ... I Did it Again!" and "Baby One More Time" in the schoolgirl outfits, and often refer to how good of an artist she was in those days. Hmmmm ... feeling threatened by strong, grown-up women much?

These people often make snarky comments about Britney "not being able to dance" (while they trip over their own two feet in their boat shoes on the way to the farmer's market; would LOVE to see them try to do her choreography -- I have -- it's hard), and also like to say "she can't sing" (obviously they have never listened to "My Baby" from "Circus").

Finally, they complain about the "autotune" on her vocals, which has me scratching my head; last time I checked there is no one mix effect called "autotune" and, since it is 2011 and not 1991, techno is the word of the day. I don't want to listen to an acoustic set of "The Shadows of Your Smile"; I prefer to be treated to modern music, with modern effects, when a new album comes out in the year 2011.

2. ... and then there are the true fans, the people who have loved Britney through thick and thin, and who know how to appreciate something different, something bold, something eccentric, something confident, something ... Britney.

This album rocks. Britney could have gone the safe route like so many other artists when they hit a certain age and put together an "indie rock", country, or slow jam album because it was the easy way out. Nope. She did not let herself or her fans down ... she is as in-your-face, ballastic, epic, theatrical, and sarcastically funny as ever on this album. She also had the guts to get up on stage last weekend and perform songs from this album; not an easy thing to do with so many armchair critics in this world who could not get on a stage and perform, much less pour the potato chips out of the bag on the commercial break without getting out of breath.

Thank God for Britney. Her albums always put a smile on my face and fill me with energy -- they put me in a good mood in this crazy world ... which is more than I can say for listening to an acoustic set of "The Shadows of Your Smile" with Daryl in the tea shop on the way to the film festival.
3734080
Nice catchy tune, but kind of a trashy song with lyrics that belittle women.  Sorry I purchased it.
420391
Probably listen to this song too much haha. My sister can't stand that we (her husband, my husband and myself) like it so much.
800901
out of curiosity from reading someone's review of this (someone who wrote some quality reviews prior to this) i humored myself by listening to a couple previews. she might want to get that electronic throat of hers checked out.  poor girl, it sounds mighty uncomfortable to live with! apparently it's contagious as all the other pop artists on the radio seem to be catching it.
3557835
The Good
"Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" [sample] is sure to get stuck in yours. There's no way to avoid it with its vocal hook. The song has a catchy bounce that has you waiting for Ashlee to break into 'Oh Mickey your so fine...' I thought Ashlee had graduated to men, but "Boys" explores her fascination with driving the opposite sex crazy. Driving guitars drive home the chorus of "No Time for Tears." The distortion returns for Ashlee's inability to let go on "Little Miss Obsessive." Tom Higginson of the Plain White T's makes a guest appearance here. Simpson channels her inner Pat Benatar on "Bittersweet World."

The Bad
I was a bit disappointed the Simpson chose to abandon the rock sound she had going on.

The Verdict
Ashlee Simpson has traded in rock guitars for funky dance beat rhythms courtesy of the hottest pop-producers in the business Timbaland and Neptunes. How can you blame her when Gwen Stefani and Fergie did the same thing and made millions. Ashlee's latest batch of songs are still pretty damn catchy (I challenge you to listen with out repeating ay ya ya in your head all day), but I long for the days when she was a pissed off teenage that wanted to rock out her frustrations.
3537248
What a horrible role model! Hearing that girls want to be like her makes me want to cry and also makes me wonder what the point of the women's movement was. "Baby Hit Me One More Time"? That's so degrading, I  don't even know where to begin. I personally know a girl at school who  wishes she were Britney Spears and acts as if she knows her personally. The  thought that there are young women like that out there baffles me and makes  me sick.
Yes, her music can be upbeat and fun to listen to. I will  say that she is a good dancer. Her voice can be pretty when she doesn't  strain it. However, if you think that her MUSIC is IMPRESSIVE artistically  in any way, you have not heard real music. All of her music, even if  enjoyable, is not complex: it is way too simple to be deeply stimulating.  Do not try to pin her lack of talent on her age, either. I have high school  friends who can write music that is literally a thousand times better than  this tripe. If you are looking for an artist to "idolize," at  least find someone who writes his or her own songs.
I have heard  one person say that her songs have awesome guitar parts. *ROFLOL* If you  want to hear impressive guitar parts, listen to some King Crimson, prog  bands, or, well, anyone else, actually.
  I am a teenager, and  though I like the occasional "fun" song, I do not vest much time  into the artists who write this shallow type of music, even if I enjoy  listening to it every so often.  If you are looking for some interesting  music with some actual SUBSTANCE, Britney Spears is not the person to get  it from. For example, I've recently gotten into "The Alan Parsons  Project," whose music is actually INTERESTING both lyrically and  musically and required TALENT to write and produce.  Find someone like that  instead.
  My main point is that Britney Spears is not a musical  artist.  Her songs are fun and hip, but they contain only degrading,  shallow meaning if any meaning at all. Music can be the most spiritually  and intellectually touching thing on this earth. I hope "artists"  like Britney Spears have not made people forget that. The bottom line: if  you're going to obsess, find some REAL music to obsess over, not this  manufactured junk. It  will be gone in a matter of a year or so and just  isn't worth it anyway.
P.S. -I hate to hear anything along the lines of  "If you don't like her.......... DON'T DO THIS REVIEW!....If you don't  like her, keep your opinions to yourself," as one reviewer said.  Everyone has the right to speak his or her mind. The right to freedom of  speech doesn't merely encompass everything that you WANT to hear. I'd love  to say "If you DO like her, keep your opinions to yourself!" but  I know that people have a right to say good things about her too, no matter  how much I dislike her music.  Thank you, Amazon.com, for allowing all  people to express their opinions.
1214397
This lady sang like an angel. So sad she left so young.
A co-worker was making fun of my taste in music by saying "Who do you like...Pasty Cline?"
I brought this album in and played one of her best for him without telling him who it was. He thought she was great. When I told him who was singing, he admitted he had never heard her before!! He said he was just repeating what he heard his friends say about her.