Album: Dónde Están los Ladrones?
Artist: Shakira
Release Date: September 29, 1998
Genre: Latin Pop
Length: 0:41:06
Label: Columbia Records/Sony Music Latin
Producer: Shakira/Emilio Estefan/Pablo Flores/Javier Garza/Lester Mendez/Luis Fernando Ochoa
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2012): N/A
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2020): #496
A Spanish dance, rock jam...
A nominee for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album at the 41st Grammy Awards, Dónde Están los Ladrones? is the fourth album by Colombian artist, Shakira. Topping the US Billboard Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums at #1, and gaining Platinum certification multiple times across ten different countries, Shakira established herself as one of the greatest Latin artists in music history.
The very Latin feel right from the start with the trumpets combined with a dance beat, "Ciega, Sordomuda" lets Shakira expose her talented vocal quality. Shakira, singing entirely in Spanish, utilizes her voice to provide an extra instrument on top of the dance-like Latin Pop jam. Throughout the track, there are various sounds that continue to showcase Shakira's heritage, including the acoustic guitar, and the various trumpets throughout. A little over halfway into the song, the trumpets continue to provide excellent sound with the high-pitched wails during a solo.
A completely different sound from later Shakira hits like "Hips Don't Lie", this album features her as more of a Latin Rock artist. The second track "Si Te Vas" shows this to perfection. The phrasing in her vocals which puts these rock inspirations at the forefront, along with the power chords from the electric guitar and the high energy drum playing all bring Shakira to a different light than what she became famous for later on in her career.
Wanting a song that is more laid back and Latin oriented, "Moscas en la Casa" gives a slower, percussive sound that throws Shakira's unique voice into the forefront. A drastically different sound from the prior tracks, this song lets Shakira show the audience she is a multi-talented vocalist that can adopt any style that is given to her. The song, once again in Spanish, talks about a relationship that ended and how she has to move on, but will also wait. While the lyrics are in Spanish and a lot of people (myself included) would not be able to understand what the meaning is, the feel of the song exudes the true meaning flawlessly.
One of Shakira's most popular songs, "Inevitable" features another more laid back performance, punchy kick drum beats along with a sizzling snare drum, all to break out into a rock anthem that features another high energy vocal performance by Shakira. The ups and downs in energy throughout the song keep the whole track interesting until the very final note, continuing to make this album surprising and breathtaking.
Along with the first track, "Tú" is another Billboard Hot Latin Tracks #1 song at the time of release. Completely different from "Ciega, Sordomuda", "Tú" features a fully acoustic track. A light touch from the drums, utilization of an orchestral string section, emotion breathing out of each piano key that is pressed, and the touching warmth of Shakira's voice, makes this song one of the most impactful songs on the album, especially since it is contrasted with the rock-pop-dance feel from the other tracks.
All of the lyrics on the album are written by Shakira, and are something the listener can detect by the way she sings the songs. The pure emotion and confidence in every song is impressive, even if the listener cannot understand the message behind the song. The way she sings, the way she enunciates and the way she holds out notes is beautifully unique and is one of the most distinctively Shakira things prevalent throughout the entire album.
The final song on the album, "Ojos Así" is an impressive way to finish out Dónde Están los Ladrones?. The intense beat focusing entirely on a Latin vibe, along with the male chorus behind Shakira makes this song one of the most memorable on the entire album. A very strong closer, Shakira makes sure the entire album plays perfectly and the quality doesn't die out, making the album have a high replay value.
The best part of the album is the mix of Latin instruments with a typical rock/pop instrumentation. Throughout each track the slight background feel from the Latin instruments keeps the sound unique while the typical rock instrumentation provides a sense of comfortability. Add Shakira's distinctly unique voice on top of it all and it keeps every song wonderfully different from the last.
This album is a strong recommendation from me. If you enjoy anything from dance-pop, rock or ballads and want to listen specifically for the music, Dónde Están los Ladrones? is one of the best albums to listen to even two decades later. The ability to combine different instruments and a unique voice with multiple genres and not sound cheesy is remarkable. Now I just need to sign up for Rosetta Stone so I can learn Spanish to understand what she is singing about...
Favorite Songs: "Ciega, Sordomuda", "Tú", "Ojos Así"
Least Favorite Song: "Sombra de Ti"
Production Quality:
Mix = 9.5/10
Innovation = 9/10
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 9.5/10
Lyricism = 10/10 (Meaningful lyrics written by Shakira, with an instrument feel)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 10/10 (One of the most distinct voices ever singing multiple genres flawlessly)
Instrumental Timbre = 9/10 (Latin instruments sound great but the Pop/Rock instruments aren't that exciting or different)
Group Chemistry = 8/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 9.5/10
Overall Rating: 9.35/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!