By
Nobody
Jennifer Lopez
"J. Lo"
(Epic)
Grade: C-
It's obvious Jennifer Lopez was raised on the music of Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam.
Her newest album, "J. Lo", is packed with arrangements straight from the mid-80s and could have easily been featured on the now defunct "Club MTV." Not that one should expect anything more from Lopez. She is not exactly the most talented singer. One must remember she was only made famous by her acting talents and well-dressed assets.
Lopez falls into the same category as pop singers like Vanessa Williams and Natalie Merchant - pleasurable to listen to but lacking any earth-shattering range.
On several tracks, Lopez narrates an intro a la Barry White. At the beginning of the ballad "Come Over," for example, she says "C'mon baby, don't make me wait," and in "Secretly" she says in a breathy manner, "This feeling I have about you, will you ever know." The latter track, incidentally, mimics the 1993 Janet Jackson song "Anytime, Anyplace."
Lopez has incorporated Spanish sounds into J. Lo with the inclusion of strong percussions and a trombone in a feeble attempt to return to her Puerto Rican roots. More blatantly, "Cari–o" and "Si Ya Se Acab—," are sung entirely in Spanish.
It seems as though Lopez did not have a large part in the production of this album. The CD is stalled by too many cooks in the kitchen - Lopez utilizes an army of writers and back-up singers. Not all the songs are blunders, however, as "Play" and "Ain't it funny" are enjoyable tracks.
The album as a whole sounds different than her 1999 debut On the Six. This new release was perhaps a hasty move, one that might have been better if Lopez had taken the time to create solid piece of artistry.
