Oral Fixation vol. 2 | 
| Artist: Shakira
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $18.97
Buy Used: $0.02
You Save: $18.95 (100%)
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Rating:  142 reviews
Sales Rank: 72853
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
UPC: 827969770825
EAN: 0827969770825
ASIN: B000BOH8XW
Release Date: November 29, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | How Do You Do | | • | Don t Bother | | • | Illegal (featuring Carlos Santana) | | • | The Day and the Time (featuring Gustavo Cerati) | | • | Animal City | | • | Dreams for Plans | | • | Hey You | | • | Your Embrace | | • | Costume Makes the Clown | | • | Something | | • | Timor |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The English-language Oral Fixation Vol. 2 finds Shakira reclaiming some of the bite she showcased on 1998's smashing Donde Estan Los Ladrones? The Colombian rock goddess is making up for lost time: this is her second disc of new material in 2005. It's quite a feat, considering the four-year gap since Laundry Service, her scattershot, English-language debut album. Oral Fixation Vol. 2 is more mature and better focused than the spin-cycle pop of that 2001 disc. Kick-off track "How Do You Do" starts with a haunting reading of "The Lord's Prayer" before launching into a risky questioning of faith and religion. Shakira touches on the highs and lows of celebrity on a trio of tracks--the bittersweet "Your Embrace," the guitar-driven "Costume Makes the Clown," and the disco-fied, politically charged "Timor." Selfish men and failed relationships--two oft-mentioned topics of interest--anchor much of Oral Fixation Vol. 2. First single "Don't Bother" is a bitter ode to strength, jealousy, and survival; "Dreams for Plans" is a wistful collage of relationship memories; and Carlos Santana slides a sexy guitar riff under soulful standout track "Illegal." The purple haze of Prince hangs over "Animal City," one of the disc's most inventive moments. It's a free-wheeling melange of rock riffs, electronic accents, mariachi horns and confident vocals. Two songs from Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 make appearances--the somber "Something" and "The Day and the Time," which improves greatly upon its Spanish counterpart. Vol. 1, while at times enjoyable, was a portrait of a gifted artist struggling to keep her footing and retain her confidence. Oral Fixation Vol. 2 finds Shakira embracing the eclectic beauty within. It's a wonderful sound. --Joey Guerra
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| Customer Reviews: Read 137 more reviews...
 It just kills me to write this... December 13, 2005
M J Heilbron Jr. (Long Beach, CA United States)
85 out of 99 found this review helpful
...but I thought this album was boring.
No seriously. I'm a huge Shakira fan. We're both from the same town in Colombia.
I've been trying to get American audiences to listen to her for years, and no one was happier than I when she finally hit.
I belong to the fan club.
She had me at "Hello."
I really enjoyed "Fijacion Oral, Vol.1", and I naturally assumed I was gonna love this too. I even said so in my Amazon review way back when. But I slipped this into my car CD player, and...
...nothing.
I mean sure, it's impeccably produced and played, and I love her voice with all its' quirks and swoops. She could sing my tax form and I'd love it.
But nothing jumped out as being "awesome" or "amazing"...things I've come to expect with each of her releases. Beginning with "Pies Descalzos", she has compiled a staggering catalog of quality albums. Even her Unplugged disc is one of the best they've ever done.
"Don't Bother" is a weak single. The first one off this record should have been "bigger", yet I don't know which other one to pick.
There are a couple of interesting things on the album...I mean, this isn't by any means a BAD record...it's just not nearly as good as anything else she's done in years.
Carlos Santana's cameo in "Illegal" is typically nice. The two Spanish-to-English conversions work, for the most part...actually I think "Something" improves on its' predecessor.
But the melodies aren't as catchy...overall, the songs themselves just aren't as good as on Volume 1.
I waited so long for this record...it just bums me out that I'm going to have to wait that much longer for the next one...
Shakira fans will have to have this...no question. I would have bought this record even if I read that this was the worst album since "Glitter". But this is not going to add any fans to her already immense following...
 An oral fixation that will have you begging for more November 29, 2005
Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana)
44 out of 51 found this review helpful
No-one can accuse Shakira (real name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) of being a run of the mill Latin pop artiste. Her voice can be picked out from across a room, and those dance moves – you’d have to be visually impaired not to notice her.
There’s a reason for her popularity, and in this English language follow up to Fijacion Oral Vol.1 (June 2005), she proves that she can keep her English-speaking fan base happy too.
Dramatically starting off with a choral rendition of a section of “The Lord’s Prayer”, “How Do You Do” is definitely one to watch, and first single “Don’t Bother” is about losing a lover to an admittedly better woman in all areas but one.
“I’m sure she doesn’t know
How to touch you like I would
I beat her at that one good
Don’t you think so?”
Chock full of great songs, she follows up the first two songs with “Illegal” featuring Carlos Santana, and “The Day and the Time” with Gustavo Cerati. “Animal City” and “Dreams for Plans” are also good, “Hey You” is a bundle of retro fun, and then she turns down the pace for “Your Embrace” and “Something”. Just to make sure you know your rest break is over after the last few songs, she hits you with the dance track “Timor” as a grande finale.
This is an oral fixation that will have you begging for more.
Amanda Richards, November 29, 2005
VERY Good CD but... April 1, 2006
Gary Kubicek (Westminster, MD USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
...if you want Shakira's latest, "Hips Don't Lie", you can get it "free" from her website IF you have this CD. But be willing to go through tons of hassles, not to mention installing spyware from Sony ONLY to be able to hear the tune on that one computer!
Come on, Shakira, treat your fans with more respect than that!
Prompts Her Audience To Think, Feel and Care January 12, 2006
Rudy Palma (NJ)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
There is no doubt that Shakira is a major force in both the Latino and Anglo music industries, and her latest album "Oral Fixaton, Vol. 2" helps continue her ascent to legendary status. Still, listeners expecting an album full of soaring vocals and syrupy romance as showcased on last summer's magnificent "Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1" will be surprised by an album characterized by many different themes and styles.
The oddity is that "Vol. 1," which was a completely Spanish disc, debuted even higher on the Billboard chart, scoring the best sales week for any non-English album. Also, lead single "La Tortura," the slick, sexy party record featuring Alejandro Sanz that was unstoppable through the fall and became the most successful Spanish single ever released, peaked far higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than "Don't Bother," the lead single from "Vol. 2," which fizzled at #42 despite an impassioned performance, catchy hook and lingual advantage. Still, the English disc is a rarity among pop music; it is experimental and interesting.
The ball starts rolling with the hair-rising "How Do You Do?," a track that has been cut from the album in the Far East do to its outrightly calling God to task.
"How do you do?/How does it feel to be so high?/Are you happy? Do you ever cry?/You've made mistakes, well that's okay `cause we all have/But if I forgive yours, will you forgive mine?"
She also breathes new life into "Dia Especial" from "Vol. 1" with "The Day and the Time," which tells the tale of a stormy relationship that triumphs over obstacles. She perfectly recaptures the mood of the original incarnation and sings like her very life depends on it, much like she does on the heartrending ballad "Your Embrace."
"Hope it isn't too late to say I love you/Hope it isn't too late to say/That without you this place looks like London, it rains everyday/Don't you know it babe, I'm only half a body/Without your embrace."
Meanwhile, the melancholy "Dreams For Plans" shimmers beneath sparkling production, while "Hey You" is a slinky piece of flirtatious fun ensconced in mariachi horns that brings levity to the album. She also sings out for those oppressed by war in the courageous "Timor" and provides her best chance at a hit single with "Illegal," a refreshingly understated piece that derives an awesome punch from Carlos Santana's playing and belittles those who play games with others' hearts.
Despite a few tracks that would have been better left off the record in favor of others, especially "Something," a dissapointing translation of the unbelievable "En Tus Pupilas" from "Vol. 1," one fact cannot be denied: Shakira does not rest on her laurels, but instead consistently challenges herself as a writer and prompts her audience to think, feel and care. There is something to be said for that, especially from a woman who not long ago barely knew any English.
Not what I expected, but I like it! December 3, 2005
David Johnson (Mill Creek, WA USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
When I got Fijacion Oral Volumen I, I wasn't disappointed necessarily...I kind of expected that it wouldn't measure up to her past ones (DELL and PD). Although it was a little too synthesized for my tastes, I did enjoy it, and continue to do so.
With Oral Fixation Volume II, I was surprised by a couple songs. I expected that this CD, too, would be a little more pop or polished than I wanted, but having that in mind I think I came out satisfied.
I absolutely love the first song, "How Do You Do." Personally, I've grown up in a very conservative religious family and it's been hard for me because I'm not that way by nature, and so the friction that is there has caused some problems in my life and I'm trying to breakaway from it a bit. This song is WONDERFUL in regards to that because it deals with religion, more specifically the idea of God. Often it seems to many that God is just this mysterious figure that's in control of everything and doesn't really care...this song is written from a questioning point of view, almost as a challenge of sorts. It deals with questions like "If God is so good, why is there pain and suffering," etc. It makes you think and also services to maybe burn some of the frustrated energy off you have concerning the topic of religion and God.
I really enjoy "Animal City" because it's got a very exotic feel to it mixed with some great lyrics to back it up. I think in this song Shakira is kind of trying to dispense some type of nostalgic wisdom thru a bit of playful cynicism. I love the line "'Cause it's an animal city, it's a cannibal world, so be obedient, don't argue" She's extending a warning in order to spare someone some pain while at the same time being a little bit sarcastic and dark.
"Dreams For Plans," simply put, is a song about real love. Not just skipping thru a flowery field love or GOD this world sucks love, just real. Seeing that things change over the months and years and you can either abandon it or work on it and upkeep it.
"Timor" is a wonderful song lyrically! I love how she's pointing a light on American democracy and what a joke it is in some ways. This song is very political and very idealistic, which is what I LOVE about Shakira, it harkens back to her old says on Pies Descalzos and Donde Estan Los Ladrones.
Overall I'd say that the reason I'm most impressed by this album is the lyrics rather than the sound. There are the token cliche songs and the remakes of songs from Fijacion Oral Volumen I that I don't really like (except "Something" is ok). So I'd say go for it, don't set your hopes too high, but don't write it off as (complete) crap either!
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