Before Beyonce was Beyonce, Shakira was Beyonce. Not that B isn't an original in many ways, in her own right. But Shakira fans have surely had a feeling of déjà vu as they've watched Beyonce's solo career proceed apace: The incongruous blonde hair; the curvy athleticism; the smart, entrepreneurial, independent-woman vibe; the strangely wholesome eroticism that seems to constantly skirt either a G or R rating... these things all seem a little bit familiar. When Shakira and Beyonce actually hooked up for a duet a few years ago, on "Beautiful Liar," it didn't quite work, because it was almost like seeing Shakira interact with a mirror instead of a complementary performer.

Now Shakira has a new video, "She Wolf," that is so compulsively watchable, it's no wonder the clip is the No. 1 seller on iTunes right now. The ostensible theme of her hit single is the need to unleash feminine sexuality, as expressed in werewolf imagery (more so in the lyrics than the visuals). "A domesticated girl, that's all you ask of me/Darling it is no joke, this is lycanthropy," Shakira sings, promising her partner that if she can't get what she needs at home, she'll have to go out on the prowl.

But here, in a nutshell, is the real theme of the video: I am going to make Beyonce look like a stiff, arthritic old lady.

Neither Cirque du Soleil's best contortionists nor the most buff porn stars in the business have anything on Shakira's shocking limberness. We see incredibly well-toned thighs go places thighs were not meant to go... so, you know, compliments to the chef, the choreographer, and most of all, the hip-adduction equipment. Shakira makes her body seem almost like a digitalized special effect, most of all when she's wearing a bizarrely cut black-and-white bodysuit that looks a little bit like a yin-yang symbol come to sensual life.

There is also a more flesh-colored bodysuit, but just when you're getting the nervous feeling that this video may be bordering on NSFW, she wraps things up in a more demure black dress, flashing a sweet smile, suddenly looking nearly innocent.

The werewolf theme is appropriate for Shakira, because she is a shape-shifter, as an artist. You need to have seen her in concert to get an idea of the full scope of her talent and range, which can be a little slippery to get a grasp on. On the concert stage, one minute she's belly dancing like nobody's business, and the next she's stopped gyrating and picked up a guitar to do a very capable approximation of Sheryl Crow-style singer/songwriter rock, in espanol or ingles.

In other words, she's about more than sheer physicality—but doesn't seem to mind if anyone gets the mistaken impression that's all she's about, either. And surely there will be a lot of men, and maybe more than a few women, who will watch this auteur express herself to the thin tune of "She Wolf" and think that a brain is just gravy anyway. David Bowie's theme song for the most famous movie about female sexuality-as-lycanthropy, the Cat People remake, talked about "putting out the fire with gasoline." In "She Wolf," Shakira is putting out the fire with a nuclear bomb.