Not a cover of the Moldovan Eurovision entry from 2006, thankfully…

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[6.50]

Jer Fairall: Finally fulfilling the contractual obligation all Latin crossover artists have to include a “Loca”-titled song somewhere in their repertoire, one imagines.
[6]

Jonathan Bogart: Like any successful conqueror, Shakira has reached the point in her career where she’s stopped trying to amass territory and is primarily interested in the consolidation of power, which includes the forging of dynastic ties. Newcomers like Santigold or M.I.A. starting to lap her? Bring on the dude from the Bravery and the disco strings. Slipping in the UK? Hook up with Dizzee Rascal for a track. FIFA needs a Global Pop star to headline the opening concert to the World Cup? There’s nobody else even close. Which means that her claim to insanity doesn’t have to ring even vaguely true; somewhere about 2006 she outgrew everything that can be said about her and became the Supreme Fact herself. L’état, c’est elle.
[8]

Pete Baran: A potential discovery on “Waka Waka” was that throwing multiple languages and half-intelligible sounds into a track does not bother her massive audience one bit. So the odd sound of the pop accordion compliments Dizzee’s proper professional cockernee grime rap: he can spit these in his sleep, so it’s nice he seems to be in the same room as her.
[7]

Martin Skidmore: There are at least a few notes on every Shakira record that I love, that unique pure and forceful throaty tone she hits. The merengue rhythms and accordion are likeable too, and Dizzee is a very welcome surprise guest rapper. The tune is nicely bouncy, and she sounds great in places, as ever.
[8]

John Seroff: On paper “Loca” should be my song of the year; it’s only in practice that the sum of its parts sputters. The beat drags, the melody is uninspired, Diz is mostly going through the motions and Shakira’s performance is, if not lackluster, fairly rote. I kept waiting for the spark to set this off but it never came.
[5]

Erick Bieritz: “Loca” is only one letter removed from her masterful hit from last year, but sonically it’s a world away, the frosty disco replaced by the Freemasons’ overcooked merengue. Like their work for her on “Waka Waka,” it’s a serviceable pop approximation of a global sound (in this case, El Cata’s indolent “Loca Con Su Tiguere”). Shakira sounds OK borrowing from all around the globe, but it pales a bit compared to her own style.
[5]