One of my favorite artists is Shakira--not so much the modern gringo albums, but the original Columbian stuff.
She's gone through several phases in her career, with varying success; the first we may as well call the "teen idol" phase, because her first two albums were produced while she was still in high school. Neither is especially fabulous, as they have the standard manufactured feel of every other latin teen pop star. You can safely ignore them, though they're kind of fun.
Shakira's real strength is in her lyrics, all of which she writes herself, and when it came time for her third album she exerted more control and made a stark stylistic change, beginning what I call the "Alanis Morisette" phase of her career, and by far the best phase. The first album here is "Pies Descalzos," made famous by the singles "Estoy Aqui" and "Un Poco de Amor," but featuring several other awesome tracks including "Antologia," "Quiero," and "Te Necesito." This album is marked by a very literate, introspective style; many of the songs are self-referential, and she has an obvious love for words and poetry. I would especially point out the song "Te Espero Sentada," which creates an entire situation and mindset through very judicious and minimalist lyrics. She wanders quite a bit musically, experimenting with different styles and latin traditions, even tossing in some American influences such as jazz and Beat.
"Pies Descalzos" is great, but her next, "Donde Estan Los Ladrones?," is one of my favorite albums of all time. It maintains a similar lyrical style, and the same penchant for musical experimentation, but raises it to a level of polish and artistry that make "Pies Descalzos" look like a training run--which, technically, is what it was. The big radio hits were again the upbeat tracks, including "Ciega, Sordomuda" and "Ojos Asi," which became her first international megahit. The former is distinctly Mexican in flavor, while the latter draws heavily on her Lebanese heritage. For me, though, it keeps coming back to the lyrics and the poetry--songs like "Si Te Vas," "Inevitable," and "Moscas en la Casa." My favorite on the album is possibly "Tu," a sad ballad that blends latin pop with very subtle elements of classic Country music. Trust me, it works, and this is from someone who doesn't like Country. This is far and away her best album, and shows her at her most personal and inventive.
An interesting side note running through both of these albums is the sense of "We Are the World" social consciousness, which Americans got out of our systems in the 80s but which latin artists remain very concerned with. "Se Quiere, Se Mata," about teen pregnancy and abortion, was huge in Latin America, as was the title track of "Donde Estan Los Ladrones?" The song "Octavo Dia" straddles the line between the social songs and poetic ballads, and shows more of her love for playing with words.
After these two albums she acheived enough international popularity that she began doing songs directly for the english-speaking market, including an MTV unplugged album that featured translations of her earlier hits, and her first original english album "Laundry Service." These were well received, due in large part to her blonde eye candy makeover that made her look (and sound, unfortunately) like another Britney Spears/Christina Aguilera clone. Most Americans know her in this capacity, which is sad, because this album had a bland, manufactured feel and her english lyrics are nowhere near as accomplished as her spanish ones. We'll call this her "selling out" phase, because I'm feeling snarky today. Still, "Laundry Service" included four spanish-language songs that harkened back to her glory days, and I highly recommend both "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio" and "Te Dejo Madrid." The former is another in her line of upbeat hits, and the latter is one of the introspective ballads she does so well.
Her next two albums are already a year old, but I was admitedly so turned off by "Laundry Service" that I haven't bothered to check them out yet. The good news is she released a spanish version first, "Fijacion Oral Vol. 1," so I have hopes that it could be a blend of her new sound and her older, more accomplished themes and lyrics. the second came out in english, as "Oral Fixation Vol 2.," so I don't know what to think.
The point is, go check out "Pies Descalzos" and "Donde Estan Los Ladrones?" They're absolutely awesome. Those of you who don't speak Spanish, sorry. Learn.