Review: Jennifer Lopez, J.Lo

            If On the 6 made Jennifer Lopez a superstar then her sophomore effort J.Lo transformed the singer into a super nova. While it is largely a continuation of the Latin pop sound she emerged with on the music scene, the album is chock full of pounding beats and infectious hooks hellbent on getting the listener to dance. Often considered her signature album, J.Lo is one piece of La Lopez’s discography that is not to be missed.

            The album opens with the club thumper “Love Don’t Cost A Thing” with its pulsating rhythm and Lopez’s slick vocal delivery over the wordy lyrics declaring that love can’t be bought. It’s hard to find a fault with the song but if there was one it’d be that the video’s dance breakdown isn’t present in the album version of the song. Lopez goes from strength to strength with the songs that follow. “Play” is a major standout on the album with its hopping electronic composition and stuck-in-your-head-all-day lyrics with Lopez laying the sass on thick. Likewise, “I’m Real” and “Walking on Sunshine” keep it moving with their thumping arrangements encouraging at least some minor head bouncing and foot tapping. Despite her efforts to maintain a more radio-friendly sound, the bulk of Lopez’s album is firmly rooted in Latin pop. “Ain’t It Funny” is guitar-heavy love song with a quickly delivered chorus, “Cariño” features an effective horn section on its chorus encouraging movement, and the duet “Dame (Touch Me)” stands strongest for its perfect marriage between percussion and brass instruments. Sprinkled between these tracks are a few gems. The Lopez-penned “Secretly” is a fluttering slow jam with a delicate composition and effortless vocal delivery while “I’m Gonna Be Alright” picks up the tempo with its lightly synthesized arrangement. The Darkchild-produced “That’s The Way” is another fantastic dance song that is indebted to Latin pop but takes a more modern perspective in its instrumentation and would have served as the ideal song for the album to conclude on.

            While J.Lo had Lopez preparing to seize the Dance Queen throne, it is still far from being a masterpiece. At 15 tracks, it is about three tracks too long making the listening process a little tedious. It's slower songs lack the same vulnerable introspection she'd come to be known for later and some songs are pure filler. Nevertheless, J.Lo is undeniably a piece of pop culture history and some of its songs are pure gold. Lopez’s career has been plagued by critics and they sharpened their claws healthily on J.Lo but perhaps they’ve been so harsh due to the fact that they lack two components that make listening to Lopez’s music so entertaining – rhythm and an unabashed desire to let go and have fun.

Recommended Listening: “Love Don’t Cost A Thing,” “I’m Real,” “Play,” “Walking on Sunshine,” “Ain’t It Funny,” “Cariño,” “Dance With Me,” “Secretly,” “I’m Gonna Be Alright,” “That’s The Way,” “Dame (Touch Me)”

Grade: B+