The Singles Jukebox

For Colombia…

[Video][Website]
[6.29]

Cassy Gress: An adorable Colombia-to-Spain love letter, perfect for breezy bike rides and drifting off on beautiful thirds.
[7]

Will Adams: Love to Colombia forever, but I have to imagine a pairing like Carlos and Shaki could have resulted in something far more interesting than this. “La Bicicleta” is so 50 per cent that choices that I would otherwise raise an eyebrow at — namely the Auto-Tuned Shakira towards the end — serve as a welcome diversion from the leaden arrangement and clunky chorus.
[4]

Jonathan Bogart: They’ve both produced much more vital music over their long careers, but if there are any two Colombians who deserve to rest on their laurels with a beachy vallenato-cum-reggaetón summer hit, it’s these two. Points deducted for being practically hookless, but when a groove’s that good who cares.
[7]

Juana Giaimo: What a boring song. Only the bridge shows something the rest of the song can’t: a little bit of dynamics. The rest are empty verses with stretched out words to fill the time and a chorus that doesn’t let neither Shakira or Carlos Vives stand out. 
[4]

Jonathan Bradley: This is supposed to be a national showcase, and while Vives has had success in his own right, what impresses me most is how well he matches his far more famed compatriot. Shakira’s voice is such a singular one, slicing through the arrangement, that to sound like you belong on the track with her is an achievement in itself. “La Bicicleta” yearns with a romanticism that is not sentimental — is this the vallenato? The headliners pull one another into the fray.
[8]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: So refreshing to hear Shakira bringing back her Barranquilla accent and playing a perfect 50-50 match with Carlos Vives — she generally outshines everyone in duets — for a track that honors that Colombian tradition of sounding both sensual and tongue-in-cheek. That subpar reggaetón beat is the big objection here; the ideal scenario would be a Bicicleta that engages in full vallenato mode. You gotta love that accordion. 
[6]

Peter Ryan: Probably the most comprehensively she’s ever tried to rep her hometown in song; as noted, probably in equal measure a shameless stab at Song of the Summer for as many Spanish-language markets as possible; definitely maybe inspired by this tourism ad. This could have been an awkward homecoming: the global superstar returning after a long absence to co-opt a bit of Vives’s local hero cachet. But Shakira’s a master at adapting her instrument to her setting, and she’s generously understated as a duet partner here. In return Vives is such a congenial presence that she can’t help sounding at home, like they’ve actually been writing back-and-forth for ages planning this get-together; of course life/schedules/being famous got in the way but he kept her updated on what’s the same and what’s changed about home and now that they’ve made time it’s so nice to hang out, check out old haunts, just ride some bikes. It’s genuine uncomplicated comfort. I just wish she’d left Piqué out of it.
[8]