Shakira might have lost in ugly fashion to The Beatles in Montauk Madness, but at least she has a hit album on her hands. El Dorado (which translates to The Golden One) is the singer-songwriter’s ninth studio album, and the fourth straight to feature songs in both English and Spanish.

Though my understanding of Spanish is rusty to the point of non-existent, I have always been a bigger fan of Shakira’s work in her native tongue. Parts of her early English-language albums felt more like calculated attempts to expand her audience rather than organic artistic statements. But as that audience has grown, I love that she now jumps between languages when it fits the song and not the marketing plan. Continue reading →