About.com Rating

Listen

Purchase / Download

Written by Shakira, John Hill, Tom Hull, Daniel Alexander, Erik Hassle, and Robyn Fenty

Produced by Shakira, John Hill, and Kid Harpoon

Released January 2014 by RCA

Pros

• Engaging ska beat
• Return to rock roots for Shakira
• Well matched voices of Shakira and Rihanna

Cons

• Lack of power and weightiness to the song

Shakira's new single "Can't Remember To Forget You" kicks off with a burst of ska guitar that quickly leads into trademark vocals that have endeared the Latin star to fans for 20 years.

 With blasts of rock guitar and drums, the song reminds everyone that Shakira has always incorporated rock in her mix of international pop styles. After the experiments of 2009's She Wolf, Shakira has gone back to a style that is likely to be very pleasing to long term fans and give those who listen to current pop radio a breath of fresh air.

Shakira and Rihanna possess two of the most distinctive voices in current pop music.  However, they blend quite well on "Can't Remember To Forget You." Rihanna delivers a slightly more smooth and mellow lead compared with the authoritative rasp of Shakira's singing.  The island ska reggae beat is very familiar territory for Barbadian Rihanna.  It's easy to imagine the pair performing the song together live.  Neither singer is required to stretch their talents particularly far, but the trading of parts on the guitar rave-up that completes the record is exhilarating.

Lyrically, "Can't Remember To Forget You" spins out a tale in which the protagonist knows she must leave a relationship but is continually pulled back by memories of, "kissing in the moonlight."  She admits she only has, "selective memory."  It would have been easy to turn the song into a lament.

 However, with the midtempo beats it turns into more of a confessional jam.  There is even a hint of personal defiance wanting to justify the feelings that, "I'd do anything for that boy."

The clear highlight of "Can't Remember To Forget You" is the final surge of rock guitar and drums accompanying a more frenetic trading of vocals between Shakira and Rihanna.  Along the way production touches like echo effects and new wave synths provide interest to the mix.  Rihanna even introduces some swagger to her performance before the final surge.  The climax of the song is a moment of pop-rock excitement that is more fun than many superstar collaborations.

It has been more than six years since Shakira last found herself in the pop top 10 in the US.  That was on the superstar duet with Beyonce"Beautiful Liar."  The song "She Wolf," the title song from Shakira's last English language album, just missed the top 10.  She continued her international success with the Latin album Sale el Sol.  However, her mainstream pop standing in the US has suffered.  With the help of Rihanna on "Can't Remember To Forget You" and a new season as a mentor on The Voice, Shakira looks well positioned to return to the upper reaches of pop charts here.

With the strong rock influence in the arrangement, "Can't Remember To Forget You" could also be a needed shot in the arm to mainstream pop radio that is currently over-saturated by dance pop.  Rock guitars and alternative beat structures still have a very important place in pop music, and Shakira is back to remind us of that fact.