Search - Shakira :: Grandes Exitos (W/ Vcd)

Record company wants your money

Miguel Gonzalez | Sydney, Australia | 01/01/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Maybe I've been spoiled by the likes of U2, who are always trying to give something new to their audience -even if they're releasing just a Greatest Hits album.Don't get me wrong, I've known and loved Shakira since 1995 and I have supported her English crossover. But this is A PRODUCT, I really don't think she was even involved... there are NO new tracks, and not all of her SINGLES have been included. At least in Mexico, "Moscas en la casa" was never released. Instead I'd include "Pies descalzos, sueños blancos".The songs are great, but the album doesn't offer us anything new except for the VCD, which doesn't include any full lenght videos. This CD screams "buy, buy, buy!" even if nothing special has been offered."

¡Un Disco Fantástico - Canciones Buenísimas De Shakira!

Mysteriouscow | Jefferson City, Missouri | 12/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really love this album! Shakira has such a great, rich, and strong voice. She also has many numerous amazing songs, and her best singles from 1996-2002 are included here! I love that she writes this music by herself, and she really gets into them while singing, making you feel her passion. Here's a breakdown of the songs:



01. "Estoy Aqui (I Am Here)" - This is the first Shakira song I ever heard, and it really got me hooked on her after that. I love that the song really speeds up quickly and goes pretty fast during the chorus. The background music is fun, and the lyrics are great too! "Estoy aqui quierendote, ahogandome; Entre fotos y cuadernos; Entre cosas y recuerdos; Que no puedo comprender; Estoy enloqueciendome; Cambiandome un pie por la cara mia; Esta noche por el dia; Y nada le puedo yo hacer; Si aun piensas algo en mi; Sabes que sigo esperandote". The English is: "I'm here, loving you, suffocating in photographs and scrapbooks, in objects and momentos; I can't comprehend; I'm driving myself mad; Changing a foot for my own face; This night for a day; And there's nothing I can do about it; If you still think something about me; You know that I am still waiting for you". This is really a beautiful song.



02. "Antologia (Anthology)" - This is another very beautiful and slow song. This girl is singing to her guy about what she has gained from loving him. "Todavia se siente el dolor porque todo el tiempo que pase junto a ti dejo tejido su hilo dentro de mi; Junto a ti creo que aumente mas de 3 kilos con tus tantos besos repartidos; Despegaste del cemento mis zapatos para escapar los dos volando un rato; Pero olvidaste una final instruccion porque aun no se como vivir sin tu amor; Hasta perdone tus equivocaciones; Y conoci mas de mil formas de besar; Y fue por ti que descrubi; Lo que es amar; Lo que es amar..." In English - "Pain is still felt because all the time that I spent near you left its thread woven in me; Next to you I think I gained a few pounds with your sweet repetitive kisses; You freed my feet from the pavement, so the both of us could fly away free for a moment; But you forgot one final detail because I still don't know how to live without your love; I even forgave your mistakes; And I learned more than a thousand ways to kiss; And it was because of you that I discovered what it is to love; What it is to love". This song is pretty slow, but it is very sweet and easy to understand all or the majority of the words.



03. "Un Poco De Amor (A Little Love)" - This is one of my least favorite Shakira songs out of every one that I've heard. It has an interesting beat, but it's not as great as some others. "Unas veces subir y otras caer; Y yo cuando tu te me acercas no respondo de mis actos; Siento que aqui voy de odiarte a quererte, de principio a fin, buscando un poco de amor". In English - "Sometimes I go up and other I fall; And I, when you approach me, do not respond to you of my acts; I feel that here I go from hating you to loving you, from beginning to end, searching for a little bit of love". This song also has some English in it, unlike the others on here.



04. "Donde Estas Corazon (Where Are You Love)" - I like this song too but not as much as some others. It has a nice slow pace, and the lyrics are good. "Donde estas corazon; Ayer te busque entre el suelo y el cielo, mi cielo, y no te encontre; Y puedo pensar que huyes de mi porque mi silencio una corazonada; Puedo pensar y vuelvo pensar que no tardaras porque en el planeta no existe mas nadie a quien pueda yo amar". In English - "Where are you love; Yesterday I looked for you on the floor and in the sky, dearest, and I couldn't find you; I can't think that you're hiding from me because the voice inside is sincere; I think and continue to think that you won't falter because there is no one else that exists on this planet that I could ever possibly love".



05. "Que Me Quedes Tu (That I Have Left You)" - I really like this song. The best part is the chorus, but she sounds great on the rest too. The lyrics are good. "Que me quedes tu; Y me quede tu abrazo; Y el beso que inventas cada dia; Y que me quede aqui; Despues de ocaso; Para siempre tu melancolia; Porque si yo dependo de ti; Y si me quedas tu; Me queda la vida". In English - "That I have left you, and I have left your hug and the kiss that invents each day; And that I have left here; after decline for always your melancholy; Because if I depend on you; And if I have left you, I have left the life".



06. "Ciega Sordomuda (Blind, Deaf, and Dumb)" - I love this song. It is so easy to get into, and the beat is really upbeat and fast. I love when she starts singing the fast parts, and as usual, her voice is incredible on this song. The background music is also very fun. "Bruta, ciega, sordomuda, torpe, traste, testaruda, es todo lo que he sido; Cuantas veces he intentado; Enterrarte en mi memoria; Y aunque diga ya no mas; Es otra vez la misma historia porque este amor siempre sabe hacerme respirar profundo; Ya me trae por la izquierda y de pelea con el mundo". In English - "Brutal, blind, deaf and dumb, clumsy, odd, stubborn, is all that I have been; How many times have I tried to bury you in my memory; And although I say "no more", it's again the same story; Why does this love always know how to make me breathe deep; It brings me to the edge and into conflict with the world".



07. "Si Te Vas (If You Go)" - Another song that is truly amazing. She sounds great, the beat is great, and the lyrics are incredible. A girl is saying that she won't stay if her guy leaves her for another girl. "Si te vas, si te vas, si te marchas; Mi cielo se hara gris; Si te vas; Si te vas; Ya no tienes que venir por mi; Si te vas, si te vas, y me cambias por esa bruja, pedazo de cuero; No vuelvas nunca mas que no estare aqui". In English - "If you go, if you go, if you leave; My sky will become gray; If you go, if you go; You don't have to come for me; If you go, if you go, and change me for this witch, piece of trash; Don't return again because I will not be here".



08. "No Creo (I Don't Believe)" - This song is great! It was the second Spanish song I heard of her's and I have loved it since. She sounds amazing, and this live version really differs from the original because it is all acoustic. "Solo tu sabes bien quien soy; Y por eso es tuyo mi corazon; Solo tu doblas mi razon; Y por eso adonde tu quieras voy; No creo que el mar algun dia pierda el sabor a sal; No creo en mi todavia; No creo en el azar; Solo creo en tu sonrisa azul; En tu mirada de cristal; En los besos que me das y en todo lo que digas". In English - "Only you know well who I am, and therefore, my heart is yours; Only you bend my reason, and therefore, I go to where you want; I don't believe that the sea will one day lose its salty flavor; I still don't believe in myself; I don't believe in the chance; I only believe in your blue smile; In your crystal look; In the kisses that you give me and in everything that you say". This is such a sweet romantic song.



09. "Inevitable (Inevitable)" - This is a good song too! She sounds so great, and I love the lyrics. "Y para ser más franca, nadie piensa en ti como lo hago you aunque te de lo mismo; Conmigo nada es fácil; Ya debes saber me conoces bien (y sin ti todo es aburrido); El cielo está cansado; Ya de ver la lluvia caer; Y cada día que pasa es uno más parecido a ayer; No encuentro forma alguna de olvidarte porque seguir amándote es inevitable". In English - "To be completely honest, no one thinks of you quite the way I do if it's all the same to you now; With me nothing is easy; Only you can tell; You know me so well and without you everything is so boring; The sky is gray; In a minute, rain will fall; The hours seem to crawl; And each day that passes is the same just like yesterday; I can't find any way to forget you because to keep on loving you is inevitable".



10. "Ojos Asi (Eyes Like Yours)" - This is a fun song. It's not one of my favorites, but the beat is very fun, and she sounds great on it. "Le pido al cielo sólo un deseo que en tus ojos yo pueda vivir; He recorrido ya el mundo entero y una cosa te vengo a decir; Viajé de Bahrein hasta Beirut; Fuí desde el norte hasta el polo sur; Y no encontré ojos así como los que tienes tú". In English - "My one desire, all that I aspire is in your eyes forever to live; I traveled all over; the seven oceans; There is nothing that I wouldn't give; Came from Bahrain, got to Beirut; Looking for someone comparing to you; Tearing down windows and doors, and I could not find eyes like yours". The English version of this song is on her "Laundry Service" CD.



11. "Suerte (Whenever, Wherever)" - I love this song in both English and Spanish. It is very fun, and she sounds fabulous. "Suerte que en el sur hayas nacido y que burlemos las distancias; Suerte que es haberte conocido y por ti amar tierras extranas; Yo puedo escalar los Andes solo; Por ir a contar tus lunares; Contigo celebro y sufro todo y mis alegrias y mis males". In English - "Lucky you were born that far away so we could both make fun of distance; Lucky that I love a foreign man for the lucky fact of your existence; Baby I would climb the Andes solely to count the freckles on your body; Never could imagine there were only so many ways to love somebody". The English is on "Laundry Service".



12. "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango) (Objection)" - This is really great and another awesome upbeat song. It is so great here, and I absolutely love the beat, her vocals, and the lyrics. "Nunca pensé que doliera el amor así; Cuando se entierra en el medio de un no y un sí; Es un día ella y otro día yo; Me estás dejando sin corazón y cero de razón; Ay te aviso, te anuncio que hoy renuncio; A tus negocios sucios; Ya sabes que estoy de ti vacunada; A prueba de patadas". In English - "It's not her fault that she's so irresistible; But all the damage she's caused isn't fixable; Every twenty seconds you repeat her name, but when it comes to me, you don't care if I'm alive or dead; So objection; I don't wanna be the exception to get a bit of your attention; I love you for free, and I'm not your mother, but you don't even bother".



13. "Tu (You)" - I LOVE this song! This is one of my absolute favorite Shakira songs ever because it is such an amazing love song. This really makes you think of the guy (or girl I guess) that you love and/or like. It's nice and slow, so it's easy to understand and sing with. "Eres tu mi sol; La fe con que vivo; La potencia de mi voz; Los pies con que camino; Eres tu amor; Mis ganas de reir; El adios que no sabre decir porque nunca podre vivir sin ti". In English - "You are my sun; The faith with which I live; The strength of my voice; The feet with which I walk; You are love; My desires to laugh; I will not know how to say goodbye because I could never live without you".



14. "Donde Estan Los Ladrones (Where Are The Thieves)" - This is another great upbeat song that sounds really different from the rest, and her vocals are again fantastic. "Donde estan los ladrones; Donde esta el asesino; En el patio del vecino; Y que pasa si son ellos; Y que pasa si soy yo; El que toca esta guitarra o la que canta esta cancion; La que canta esta cancion". In English - "Where are the thieves; Where is the murderer; On the patio of the neighbor; And what happens if it is them; And what happens if it is I; He that plays this guitar or she that sings this song; She that sings this song".



15. "Moscas En La Casa (Flies In The House)" - This is an amazingly great song too. It is also nice and slow, so it's easy to understand every word and sing along. She sounds great, and the lyrics are awesome! "Mis dias sin ti son tan oscuros, tan largos, tan grises; Mis dias sin ti; Mis dias sin ti son tan absurdos, tan agrios, tan duros; Mis dias sin ti; Mis dias sin ti no tienen noches; Si alguna aparece es inutil dormir; Mis dias sin ti son un derroche; Las horas no tienen principio ni fin; Tan faltos de aire; Tan llenos de nada; Chatarra inservible, basura en el suelo, moscas en la casa; Mis dias sin ti son solo un eco que siempre repite la misma cancion; Mis dias sin ti; Como duelen mis dias sin ti". In English - "My days without you are so dark, so long, so gray; My days without you; My days without you are so absurd, so bitter, so tough; My days without you; My days without you have no nights; If one appears, it's useless to sleep; My days without you are an excess; The hours have no beginning nor end; So lacking of air; So full of nothing; Useless junk, trash on the floor, flies in the house; My days without you are only an echo that always repeats the same song; My days without you; How my days without you hurt". This is an amazing song.



Overall, this is a truly remarkable disc that has amazing beats, lyrics, and vocals. Every song sounds different from the rest, except "Moscas En La Casa" and "Antologia" are similar. If you want to buy an amazing Spanish album, buy this!"

Greatest Hits OR Best Of? Neither

Rob Ez | Chicago | 11/21/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The review which you are about to read is written from a Shakira follower, someone who continues to support her, although dissapointed in her recent work. This so called "grandes exitos" collection includes some of Shakira's best Spanish songs, it really does try. Although there are really, no filler material here..all the songs included are great...it makes u wonder on certain songs that they chose to exclude to give preference to songs not in the same league. and what saddens me is that she obviously gave more preference to her recent material, rather than the amazing 1996 album "Pies Descalzos"a perfect example...where in the world is the rocking mega-hit "Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos"? Where is "Se Quiere, Se Mata"? There songs are two of her most rockin' songs, all I can think and feel is that Sony is trying to establish this CD for the poppy market, where the current Shakira of today is aiming for, instead of truly establishing a compilation of what Shakira truly is (or was).For those reasons alone, and due to the fact "Te Dejo Madrid", probably her most popular Spanish song of the last year,is absent, I give this album 3 stars..It truly is worth it if u want a taste of the easily-swallowable side of Shak, but I highly recommend you buy her first album "Pies Descalzos" if you truly want to feel her soul."