The singles are mostly the best tracks (Laundry Service - Shakira)

Member Name: dippykitty

Product:	Laundry Service - Shakira
Date:	24/05/09 (24 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: There are a few good tracks here

Disadvantages: I don't like the Spanish tracks much, some tracks are quite weak

I was quite a fan of Shakira after Whenever, Wherever and pretty much bought this album on the strength of that song. Back in my teenage years, it was quite common for me to do this, whereas now I will have to already know that I will like at least three or four tracks from an album before I can be convinced to part with my money. Whenever, Wherever is definitely one of the best tracks on this album, but that's not to say that I don't like the others. My copy was bought from CD Wow I think, and is actually an import from Holland but the tracklisting seems to be the same as the UK release.

***Objection (Tango)***
This track sounds very Latin in terms of its backing and in this sense it is a good example of what to expect from the rest of the album. This is one of the more commercial tracks on the album and is one of the closest to Whenever, Wherever as it is a similar tempo but not quite as catchy. I'm not keen on the speaky part near the end, and Shakira has the tendency to throw in some notes that sound more like screams but overall, this is one of my favourite tracks from the album.

***Underneath Your Clothes***
This is a more laid-back track than the previous offering and is probably the closest thing to a true ballad that the album has. It features an acoustic-sounding guitar as backing. Being quite a soft track in comparison to the tracks immediately before and after it, this is in a good place as far as the tracklisting goes. In terms of the vocals, there are some nice touches into the higher register but for the most part, this track simply demonstrates Shakira's slightly unusual vocal tone.

***Whenever, Wherever***
This was the most successful track from the album, and was the first song that really drew my attention to Shakira. It is a fairly up-tempo Latin-sounding track that was insanely catchy when it was released and become successful as a result. This is my favourite track on the album, and for me, nothing else on the album quite matches up to it, although there are good tracks. There are some strange lyrics on this track ("Lucky that my breasts are small and humble / So you don't confuse them with mountains" springs to mind immediately!" but somehow it seems to work as the song is quite fun.

***Rules***
This track is much more laid-back than Whenever, Wherever although having said that, it isn't particularly slow. I find the frequent "ah-ah" at the end of the lines in the verses quite annoying, especially as it seems to happen a lot.

***The One***
This is another laid-back track that is slower than Rules. It picks up a little in terms of tempo after the first chorus, at which point a heavier backing kicks in and the track takes on a slightly rockier feel.

***Ready For The Good Times***
This track takes the album back into more upbeat territory, although it isn't on the same tempo as Whenever, Wherever or Objection. This track starts off well but seems to lose my attention for a good while halfway through, so it tends to be one of the tracks that I often skip over.

***Fool***
This track is another of my favourites from the album. It sounds like it has some sort of guitar backing, but this isn't particularly heavy during the verses. It becomes louder during the chorus but it doesn't affect Shakira's vocals. My one criticism is the line at the end of the chorus that really stretches out the word 'fool' and irritates me. It is another of the album's mid-tempo tracks.

***Te Dejo Madrid***
This is quite an uptempo track that I quite like, even though I don't understand a word of the Spanish lyrics. I tend not to listen to it very much though as I cannot connect with songs that I don't understand!

***Poem To A Horse***
From the rather energetic introduction, I expected this to be another up-tempo track but it is actually a more mid-tempo offering that seems quite bitter in terms of its lyrics. The title is a bit bizarre but fortunately, the rest of the track isn't. There is a rather strange scream-type vocal that I find annoying (similar to my criticism of Objection) but overall, this track is quite good (but not one of the best).

***Que Me Quedes Tu***
From the title, you probably won't be surprised that this is another of the Spanish tracks and for that reason, I tend to skip over it . It is another fairly mid-tempo offering in which the guitar-style backing kicks in during the chorus. I prefer this one to Te Dejo Madrid but I'm not really that keen on either as I don't understand the words of either.

***Eyes Like Yours***
This track sounds more Middle Eastern than Latin, especially with the backing track and male backing vocals. It is much more lively than most of the other tracks on the album is probably the most up-tempo track.

***Suerte (Whenever, Wherever)***
This is essentially a Spanish version of Whenever, Wherever. It has the same tempo and feel as the English version except that it obviously has Spanish lyrics. As with the other Spanish tracks, I tend not to play it much.

***Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)***
This is the Spanish version of Objection (Tango). As with the Spanish version of Whenever, Wherever, it is pretty much the same track just with Spanish lyrics.

***Bonus Tracks***
My imported copy also has some bonus tracks which don't appear to be on the UK release , including an acoustic version of Underneath Your Clothes and a remixed version of Whenever, Wherever. I'm not really keen on either of these tracks, to be honest. The acoustic track features just an acoustic guitar in the background, which showcases Shakira's vocals. Unfortunately, I don't find this a good thing as such as her voice doesn't sound that great to me. I much prefer the first version of this track and have barely listened to the acoustic version. The remixed version of Whenever, Wherever is pretty much the same as the single release.

Summary: Apart from one or two exceptions, the singles are the best offerings here