Jennifer Lopez : Releases >>

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Brave >>

It would take a pretty good argument to deny that Jennifer Lopez is brave--nobody transitions from dance to film to music as boldly or as fluidly--but bravery doesn't factor much into her new disc, despite the title. And that's a good thing. On Brave, JLo busts out a batch of songs that don't challenge pop-appreciative ears--there's no cross-genre experimenting, no political point-making, and no self-serving, overblown ballads. In their place are well turned-out hooks (see "Mile in These Shoes," a song apt to cause ankle injuries in untold numbers of Jimmy Choo owners), bright production ("Hold It Don't Drop It" samples Tavares's groovealicious "It Only Takes a Minute"), and a voice very much in the mood to have a good time. "Stay Together," the opener, sets a happy, beat-heavy tone that holds up all album long--here's Jenny reminding the masses that monogamy need not be a buzz kill: "Stay together, it's the new break-up/Stay together, it's the new trend," she trills, and you believe her. Brave may not be the most groundbreaking record ever to climb the pop charts, but it's enough to convince you JLo's discs don't stint on substance. And it'll raise your pulse, too. --Tammy La Gorce

Now That's What I Call Music! 4 >>

The fourth in the series of Top 40-tracking compilations strikes a good balance between pop radio played-to-death singles, R&B standouts, and straight-up rock chart stormers. The beginning of the disc is packed with requisite teen pop; however, the Britney Spears offering "(You Drive Me) Crazy" will probably disappoint those who were hoping for the more recent "Oops!... I Did It Again"). This disc, where the Italian group Eiffel 65's dance-pop smash "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" lives in the same space as Blink 182's "All the Small Things," Ben Harper's "Steal My Kisses," and Macy Gray's "I Try," is like channel surfing during drive-time radio hours and scoring with every hit of the "seek" button. --Beth Massa

Como Ama una Mujer >>

Through the course of Como Ama Una Mujer, the first full-blown collection of Spanish-language tunes from multicultural diva Jennifer Lopez, we keep waiting for it to happen. A sweltering, hands-in-the-air dance anthem--the kind that made Lopez a superstar. Alas, the club beats never materialize: not even a soul-diva shimmy. The closest Lopez comes to is midtempo first single "Que Hiciste." (Seek out the pulsing, reggaeton-flavored remix for maximum dance floor fabulousness.) What we get here is a surprisingly solid collection of elegant ballads and rock-flavored tunes that showcase new vocal strengths and surprising lyrical maturity. Producers Marc Anthony, Estefano and Julio Reyes give Lopez the gloss without overpowing her, a key element to the disc's success. La Lopez recycles one track from 2005's Rebirth, "(Can't Believe) This Is Me," which pops up here as the superior "Porque te Marchas." The disc's second half is a sweeping, often gorgeous, stream of romantic consciousness, starting with the lovely "Tu" and gliding through the gently chugging "Sola." And the beautiful closing track "Adios" is a standout, pairing Lopez's lilting vocals with a gentle string arrangement and a rousing chorus of voices. A sterling achievement from a diva whose talent is just beginning to blossom. --Joey Guerra

Now That's What I Call Music! 6 >>

On the 6 >>

Actress Jennifer Lopez's debut album fails in its attempt to provide a worthy musical backdrop to her much-discussed diva-esque image. Over the course of 13 songs, On the 6 displays barely a glimmer of the verve, poise, and sensuality of her screen performances in the likes of Out of Sight. With little vocal talent to rely on, Lopez generally seems content to ape Madonna's middle register like any happy radio listener. Similarly, several of the tracks here seem too rooted in the Latin-lite clichés of "La Isla Bonita." With practice--more Lopez CDs will surely follow in the wake of 6's success--the star might develop into a singer worth reckoning with, but for now she stands as a wonderful actress and a musical artist with an unengaging album to her name. --Rickey Wright

J.Lo (Explicit) >>

J to tha L-O! The Remixes >>

Unlike most single-artist remix albums, J to tha L-O! actually has a purpose beyond raking in cash from fans. The best of these cuts brings much-needed weight to the often-weak writing, vocals, and production that mar Jennifer Lopez's two previous multiplatinum albums. The prize, of course, is her duet with Ja Rule on "I'm Real," but the other highlights (a Rodney Jerkins reworking of his own "If You Had My Love," P. Diddy's "Feelin' So Good") follow along similar hip-hop/R&B lines. Her stabs at street cred aren't always as successful; the 12-letter curse she employs on the Sack International Remix of "Play" is a good deal less than convincing. Generic house rhythms don't do anything for "Let's Get Loud" and "Walking on Sunshine." Finally, the new, tacked-on ballad "Alive," cowritten by the superstar, begins like "I Honestly Love You" but quickly proves itself a new "Greatest Love of All," filled with blind self-love. It's hard to tell if there's even anyone else in the room, or if she's just singing to a mirror. --Rickey Wright

This Is Me...Then >>

Between her first and second albums, Jennifer Lopez moved from sharp hip-hop to a slicker sound that captured the sass and heat of the streets, thanks mainly to the production acumen of her erstwhile boyfriend Sean "Puffy" Combs. On her third album, This Is Me ... Then, Lopez shows she's just as facile as her ex in changing names as well as musical personas. She abandons the impish J-Lo moniker for a more benign, and less interesting, Jenny, who makes an appearance on "Jenny from the Block." Here, Lopez insists she is still the same down-to-earth girl who emerged from the Bronx a decade before mega-stardom hit: "I used to have a little/ Now I have a lot," she chirps before cautioning, "Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got/ I'm still Jenny from the block." The claim stretches credibility given her well-documented status as a diva, but "Jenny" shows more pizzazz and humor on the album than anything else, except for her saucy duet with LL Cool J on "All I Have." Elsewhere, the album--which includes nine songs cowritten by Lopez--serves up a recycled paean to '70s soul, an anemic cover of Carly Simon's vituperative "You Belong to Me," and cloying ballads inspired by her new fiancé, actor Ben Affleck. Lopez dedicated the disc to the actor and includes a far-too-personal and gooey love song to him titled "Dear Ben." In it, she declares: "You'll always be my lust, my love, my man, my child, my friend and my king." There's plenty of love here, but what's missing is the verve and crackle of Lopez's earlier stuff. --Jaan Uhelszki

Rebirth >>

Love her or loathe her, uber-diva Jennifer Lopez knows how to deliver on record. She understands how to make the most of her limited vocal range, choosing to surround herself with able producers Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland, Big Boi and Cory Rooney, who oversaw Lopez's first album, On the 6. The mix makes Rebirth far more enjoyable than it should be, coasting on midnight-groove ballads and polished dance tracks. Lopez's fourth studio album offers little insight into her much-gossiped-about persona, but it's an undeniably fun ride anyway. A blaring James Brown horn riff drills first single "Get Right" into your head almost immediately, and soon enough, you'll find yourself bopping to the beat. The Middle-Eastern flavor of "Step Into My World" is undeniably seductive, and it's actually enhanced by Lopez's wisp of a voice. "Whatever You Wanna Do" and "Cherry Pie" are solid dance tracks, the kind of grooves Janet Jackson made before she became a Superbowl afterthought. Elsewhere, the album is peppered with R&B ballads, much like Lopez's 2002 opus, This Is Me ... Then. Rebirth is hardly a groundbreaking affair, but it continues to showcase Lopez's skillful trend of producing solid, catchy, R&B-laced records. Nothing here ever sounds forced or canned, and in the world of MTV and radio edits, maybe that does make Lopez a bit of a revolutionary after all. --Joey Guerra

More from J.Lo

On the 6	J.Lo	This Is Me...Then
Selena	Jennifer Lopez - The Reel Me	Shall We Dance?