Thursday, 25 July 2013

Jennifer Lopez- Love? Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Love?

Artist- Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez has been one of the few people in the world who can seemingly perform well in whatever they wish to pursue, with her acting career balancing powerfully with her music career, as well as other entrepreneurial pursuits. Yet she is also someone who has suffered within her career, with her films and music both taking a setback within the late 2000’s, and so the highs do truly balance the lows. With her high profile American Idol judge role and a change of label after a number of issues, Lopez set out with this album to prove that she was still a cut above the rest musically.

Track 1- On the Floor (featuring Pitbull)

This up tempo dance pop number was the track that brought J.Lo back to prominence and saw her having the bestselling single of her career, as well as one of the most viewed YouTube videos of all time. The songs carefree message of partying and just having fun on the dance floor is a simple statement that could be boring, but the incorporation of Los Kjarkas composition “Llorando se fue” in the melody makes for a catchy sound, with the hook being simple but effective. Vocally Lopez plays it  safe here and sticks to a low register, which is great as it keeps the song on the just a simple tone and so never gets too aggressive. Production wise one of the producers of the moment, RedOne, provides some nice electro pop beats combined with heavy synths to make a dancefloor sound that is never overpowering. And the Pitbull feature adds a nice cool rap section that makes for a strong finish. Yet whilst this is a good track,it also feels slightly annoying that this was her big comeback single, as the tracks production does lack originality from RedOne, and the track lacks that sense of personality that Lopez has exhibited before in such hits as “Get Right” and “Jenny from the Block”.

3.5/5

Track 2- Good Hit

Described by Lopez as potentially a good summer single, it is a good thing that this was never released as a single. Universally panned by critics, the track definitely deserves it’s negative reaction, as it lacks any personality and just sounds like any singer in the world could have sung it. This is primarily because Lopez’s vocals, which are so Auto Tuned it is ridiculous and means that the track just feels bland, with the bridge being the only sign of the sexy Lopez personality that we know is there. The lyrics are no better, with the “la la la” motif being ridiculously stereotypical and the references to objects and clubs being likewise stereotypical, making it seem as if she isn’t even trying. The only good thing about the song is it’s dance pop and RnB sound, with the forceful beats having a neck snapping quality that allows for a good pace and would have probably sounded better if paired with different lyrics and vocals.

2/5

Track 3- I’m Into You (featuring Lil Wayne)

This mid tempo pop track is a nice sensual sounding kind of affair that brings the record onto a much better form. Built around an Island flavoured hook of “na na na” that is infectious, the song find Lopez singing of how great her man is and how she is just lost in her love for him. Vocally Lopez is strong but sensual, with a breathless kind of quality in the pre chorus and chorus that makes the ideology of the track a little more believable. And although the production isn’t ground-breaking, the sparkling synth heavy beats and island tinged percussion make for a great, slightly reggae influenced track that feels like a good summer jam, with Lil Wayne providing a cool guest rap that is a little cheeky and gives a good male point of view. It may sound familiar in today’s pop world, but sometimes great songs do sound familiar.

4/5

Track 4- (What Is) Love?

First heard with Lopez’s 2010 film “The Back-up Plan”, the album’s title track is a mid tempo electro pop number that borders upon ballad territory but sparkles on a bed of synths and so sounds like more of a commanding listen. Written by Wynter Gordon and Emile Dernst, the tracks lyrics simply reflect on the question of what it means to actually be love, with Lopez singing about her life and how she has been in so many crap relationships and situations and now just wants to be with the man who can show her what she really wants. Vocally Lopez is strong, perhaps not putting her own strong stamp on the track but bringing a sense of glamour and also allow for some of the power in her voice to show in a good rather than annoying way. And the heavy electro pop bass line of the production is strong and makes for a commanding track, although the “na na na” refrain feels a bit too familiar coming after the previous song.

3.5/5

Track 5- Run the World

Seemingly a snap shot of Lopez’s relationship with her former husband Marc Anthony, the track contains a hopeful lyrical message in which Lopez sings about this love in which where these two people come together they just really make things better. The track features a simple but catchy hook, but in certain places the clichés that are employed are a little too overpowering and bland. Production from the The-Dream and Tricky Stewart is great as the mid tempo pop vibe with the heavy synth beats and head bobbing sound gives a cool urban flavouring to the track that reminds us of Lopez’s roots and harks back to her “Jenny from the Block” sound whilst still sounding very current. However whilst vocally she keeps a simple tone that makes for a chilled affair, the reliance on Auto Tune is annoying and so the track lacks a little pizazz.

2.5/5

Track 6- Papi

Another RedOne produced number, this track features the most prominent use of Lopez’s Latin roots in terms of the overall sound, with a Latin and electro flavoured production that is powerfully up tempo and features a melody that is driven strong beating drums and pounding synths. The lyrics centre around Lopez’s love for dancing for her man, and in this sense the track is very much an anthem for the ladies. Vocally the track is kept on a simple light tone, with the vocal harmonization in the chorus making for a strong dancing sound and contrasting with the more sensual verses well. The sensuality of the track is also powerfully brought out in the middle section, in which the Spanish ad libs emphasise how she is totally invested in what she is singing. The middle section breakdown is also strong in terms of the thumping bass, and so the song ends on a strong note and so as a whole this is definitely one of the albums highlights.

4/5

Track 7- Until It Beats No More

Once again Lopez sings of the power of love in this soft rock pop ballad that lyrically speaks of a love that never dies. The lyrics have a breathless honesty and emphasise the ideology of someone coming into your life and making you feel again when you are at your lowest point. And Lopez brings out the strength and rebirth ideology of the lyrics beautifully within her lyrics, with the vocal harmonization in the chorus giving a nice euphoric kind of tone, and the stripped back tone of the verses really allow her vocals to shine and feel sophisticated and glamorous. The production of the track is also great, with the simple piano melodies allowing for a sense of honesty to permeate the track, and the strong drum beats in the chorus make the statement that little bit more powerful.

4/5

Track 8- One Love

This light RnB number is a groovy and quite chilled affair that finds Lopez questioning what love is again, but this time asking if there is such a thing as one love. The soul mate ideology is powerfully and effectively surmised in the tracks hook, and the verses have a nice essence of honesty as critics have noted the indirect references to Lopez’s former relationships. The light lyrical content is very catchy, and Lopez compliments this nicely with her vocal performance in which she keeps a simple but strong and light tone that makes for a catchy listen, and the synth laden production make for a simple but nice sound that makes for a well-rounded track.

3.5/5

Track 9- Invading My Mind

The up tempo energy of the record arrives again in the form of this number in which we find Lopez singing of how she is being overcome by this rush of feeling that this man is producing in her. The tracks sound is similar in composition to “On the Floor” but with harsher beats and a more of a groove feel and more prominent electro keys, just giving a great Euro pop dance energy than that song. The vocals are strong if a little monotone, but the playing off of a female and male (albeit highly distorted male) vocal in the verses gives a cool energy to the track, and the production gives a cool dance energy that compensates for the slightly repetitive lyrical content.

3/5

Track 10- Villain

Villain is a strong slice of electro pop with an RnB flavour in which Lopez puts on the persona of a wicked kind of femme fatale as she sings about being a player in love and just using this man because she just thinks of herself, whilst the man has also done exactly the same thing to her. The slow and lilting vocal tone Lopez employs makes the message a little bit more potent, although after a while it sounds a little lifeless. And that is the problem with this track, as the strong dance back beats are good to listen to at first and “love love love love” motif is kind of catchy, but after a while you get bored of it.

2.5/5

Track 11- Starting Over

The ideology of the penultimate track is perfectly encapsulated within the title as Lopez puts on a fragile persona and sings about being broken after the end of a relationship and this powerful love, but even though she is still in love it’s not enough and she has to start again, although it is difficult and she is afraid. The song is given gravitas by Lopez’s personal life, as she split with her husband at the time of the albums recording. And so as she brings that fragile essence of the song in her quite subdued and delicate vocal in the verses before making a kind of plea in the chorus, we can totally believe what she is singing about. The production also plays a nice line between giving the song an innate strength but also still retaining that essence of fragility, with the handclapping beats and electronic bass line making for a catchy sound.

3.5/5

Track 12- Hypnotico (bonus track)

Originally recorded by artist Tami Chynn for her debut album, Lopez recorded the track after Chynn’s album was cancelled, with the song remaining unused for many years and seen as a lost cause by songwriter Claude Kelly. The track is a light dance pop number that is driven by a chunky beat and retro, 80’s synths that give a nice up tempo energy to the track. Vocally Lopez gives a light and fun performance, being both fun and sensual at the same time, and the use of Auto Tune just brings out the lightness and great energy of the track rather than hindering the song in anyway. Lyrically the track finds Lopez singing of how great her and all her girls are and how they make the boys go crazy, being a very flirtatious message that is powerful when set against the tracks booming bass line. It may be just a bonus track but it is actually a great number that is perhaps better than some tracks on the record.

4/5

Final Review

Lopez definitely makes a comeback statement with this album has she has created a strong and cohesive record that really lives up to its title, but she keeps it light and always creates catchy dance pop tunes that are in many ways infectious. Aside from the odd track each of the songs is strong in different ways and provides a fresh spin on the topic of love, with Lopez retaining her upbeat Latina personality as well as showing a sense of vulnerability alongside the dance, happy Lopez. If you want an album full of catchy tunes then you should look no further than this record, and it is safe to say that Lopez showed she was back on form with this record.

Best Track- I’m Into You (featuring Lil Wayne)

Worst Track- Villain

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