Saturday, May 7, 2011

Jennifer Lopez 'Love?': Track-by-Track Review





Lopez recruited plenty of hitmakers to help craft "Love?," including R&B boundary-pushers The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, Norwegian duo Stargate and none other than Lady Gaga, who boasts two credits on the album ("Invading My Mind" and "Hypnotico"). Gaga's frequent collaborator RedOne also produced the set's lead single, "On the Floor" (featuring Pitbull), which helped kick-start Lopez's musical comeback with a top 10 debut on the Billboard Hot 100.

Play NOW 1. "On the Floor" -- Long overdue J.Lo/Pitbull collab reveals said floor's versatility over crisp synths. Donkey Kong/Tonka Truck/Lambada nostalgia, anyone?


Play NOW 2. "Good Hit" - For the kids. "Pieces of Me"-esque Auto-Tune use and neck-snapping beat keeps momentum going nicely, but Nicki Minaj, Jennifer is not.

Play NOW 3. "I'm Into You" - Dancehall groove, breezy verses and come-hither hook is perfect for sun-soaked, summertime road trips. Weezy cameo FTW.

Play NOW 4. "(What Is) Love" - Older, wiser Jennifer channels love-addled J.Lo circa '03 to answer album's central ? Bieber would slay this if the gender was flipped.

Play NOW 5. "Run the World" - The-Dream's fingerprints all over this = a good thing. After the internal confusion of "(WI)L," this one's refreshingly self-assured.

Play NOW 6. "Papi" - The pro-monogamy house trend revived by RiRi's "Only Girl," still going strong here. Fun, harmless, & strictly for Jenny's Latina fans.

Play NOW 7. "Until It Beats No More" - Sounds like she's singing straight to Marc Anthony on this one. Honest and adult. "I feel the beat again, stronger than before." Aw.

Play NOW 8. "One Love" - "What's wrong with a girl wanting everything?" Jennifer wonders over this slow roller. Nothing, when you're a triple-threat superstar.

Play NOW 9. "Invading My Mind" - RedOne & Lady Gaga (collaboration 1 of 2) bring the hit potential, while Jennifer brings the heat.  All irresistible '80s euphoria & release.

Play NOW 10. "Villain" - Variations on Kanye's "Flashing Lights" beat never get old, but this feels oddly placed after the confessional vibe of the last track.

Play NOW 11. "Starting Over" - Another ballad in disguise, thanks to pummeling bassline and mournful introspection. First payoff comes at the :33 mark - hi, Robyn!

Play NOW 12. "Hypnotico" - Gaga collaboration 2 of 2 gets right into the Mother Monster's headspace. Handclaps, boy-toying, fun with syllables & a boricua shoutout.

Play NOW 13. "Everybody's Girl" - So very disco. Being tired of fame is a tired theme, hence the bonus track status, but this'll work just fine for a Zumba playlist, so thx!

Play NOW 14. "Charge Me Up" - Did you know? Four-on-the-floor fatigue is a real illness. A ballad would actually be very welcome right about now.

Play NOW 15. "Take Care" - Finally, some hip-hop. Delicious melodies by the-Dream and retro drums. All that's missing is Ja Rule's growl! Kidding. Kind of.

Play NOW 16. "On the Floor (Ven a Bailar)" - Even sexier than the original, and the rare seamless ranslation of an English-language hit. Also, Pitbull should never not rap in Spanish.

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