Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Exclusive Artwork)＜Sapphire Blue Swirled Vinyl＞

In the seven years between studio albums, Shakira essentially became a singles artist, maintaining her ubiquity through globe-conquering collaborations with the likes of Anuel AA, Black Eyed Peas, Ozuna, Rauw Alejandro, Karol G, Fuerza Regida, and Bizarrap. On 2024s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran ("Women No Longer Cry"), the international pop icon collects the bulk of those previously one-off hits and unites them with a batch of fresh tracks for her 12th official set. Las Mujeres chronicles almost a decade of the singers life, which included a much-publicized split, heard most famously on the biting kiss-off, "Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53" (which includes lyrics that informed this albums title). That record-breaking tune (and its throbbing Tiesto remix) is included on the latter half of the LP alongside those previously issued collaborative tracks -- which had been released to the wild from as early as April 2022 -- while the first half is all "new" material, a smart split that allows the previously unreleased tracks some room to breathe. Bright and full of life, these songs focus on rebuilding and reframing through cathartic and mostly dance-friendly fare. Following the bouncy opener "Punteria" (with an audibly softer Cardi B), Shakira reunites with Bizarrap for another electronic-dance banger, "La Fuerte," and follows 2022s "Te Felicito" with another Alejandro duet, "Cohete," which lives up to its title as it blasts listeners into orbit on a pulsing, disco-kissed beat that is irresistible. She also recruits regional Mexican act Grupo Frontera to further seize global trends on the yearning "Entre Parentesis." The breezy but bittersweet "Tiempo Sin Verte" and the rocking stomper "Como Donde y Cuando" (which should please fans of her early, pre-crossover material) further strengthen an already flawless opening run on Las Mujeres, which, by itself, could stand as one of the strongest, most thematically cohesive statements of her career. When the final piano twinkles of the heartbreaking ballad "Ultima" close the first half, the album shifts to mixtape mode with the flood of additional hits that pack the back end, making Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran a great two-for-one set that is essentially a short new album and a de facto "Greatest Hits 2022-2024." ~ Neil Z. Yeung

〈女性はもう泣かない〉を意味する表題も意味深な7年ぶりのアルバム。カロルGとの"TQG"、ビザラップとの"Shakira:Bzrp Music Sessions Vol.53"の特大ヒットが最高の前哨戦となった格好ながら、私生活の諸々もあって制作プロセスはジャケの通りに自身の涙からダイヤモンドを創り出すような行為だったという。オスナとのバチャータ"Monotonia"、フエルサ・レジダとのポルカ"El Jefe"、マヌエル・トゥリソやラウ・アレハンドロとのレゲトンなど、客演の振り幅を楽曲のカラフルさに繋げた佳曲が並び、別れを歌ったオーセンティックな"Acrostico"や"Ultima"が味わい深し。
bounce (C)出嶌孝次