Biography

Actress/singer Jennifer Lopez was born in the Bronx, NY, on July 24, 1970; after starting out in musical theater as a child, at age 16 she made her film debut in the little-seen My Little Girl, but her career then stalled until she was tapped to become one of the dancing "Fly Girls" on the television sketch comedy series In Living Color.

A recurring role on the TV drama Second Chances followed before Lopez was thrust into the limelight co-starring with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson in the 1995 feature film Money Train; smaller roles in pictures including My Family/Mi Familia, Jack, and Blood and Wine followed before she landed the title role in 1997's Selena, portraying the slain Tejano singer. Co-starring opposite George Clooney in 1998's acclaimed Out of Sight, Lopez (the product of a Puerto Rican family) became the highest-paid Latina actress in Hollywood history; the following summer, she returned to her musical roots with her debut pop album, On the 6, scoring a major hit with the infectious single "If You Had My Love." Lopez didn't waste time perfecting a sophomore effort, the appropriately titled J.Lo, which was issued in early 2001. The following year Lopez released J to tha L-O!: The Remixes and This Is Me...Then, which spawned another hit single, "Jenny From the Block."

Albums

1. 1999 On the 6 Work
2. 2001 J.Lo [Original Issue] Sony
3. 2002 J to Tha L-O
4. 2002 This Is Me... Then Epic

Biography

Jennifer Lopez's debut album On the 6 showcases the actress' sultry, versatile voice in a number of settings, including pop ballads, Latin pop, and R&B. Star producers like Sean "Puffy" Combs, Track Masters, and Emilio Estefan Jr. lend their talents to the album, making On the 6 a perfectly polished and varied album, which features a musical blend Lopez calls "Latin soul." Smooth ballads such as "Should've Never," "Too Late," "Could This Be Love," and "No Me Ames," a duet with Latin superstar Marc Anthony, dominate the album's first half; while these songs show off the gentler side of Lopez's vocal gifts, they tend to sound too similar. It's on the R&B and Latin-tinged tracks where Lopez really shines.

Along with the insistent first single "If You Had My Love," cuts like "Feelin' So Good" and "Let's Get Loud" have a fiery, soulful sound more in keeping with Lopez's public persona. On the 6's second half capitalizes on this spicy, upbeat side, particularly on "Waiting for Tonight" and "Open Off My Love," which draws inspiration from rap, R&B, and Latin styles with its sparse arrangement of horns, keyboards, and beats. The tropical remix of "No Me Ames" and "Una Noche Mas," the Spanish version of "Waiting for Tonight," emphasize Lopez's distinctive heritage, which elevates On the 6 from a star's vanity project to an individual but accessible work of pop songcraft by a widely talented performer. — Heather Phares

Album Songs

1. If You Had My Love performed by Lopez / Jennifer Karr / Shawnyette Harell - 4:25
2. Should've Never performed by Lopez / Jennifer Karr / Shawnyette Harrell - 6:14
3. Too Late performed by Lopez / Corey Rooney / Shawnyette Harrell - 4:27
4. Feelin' So Good performed by Lopez / Big Punisher / Fat Joe - 5:27
5. Let's Get Loud performed by Lopez / Donna Allen / Betty Wright / Mulet, - 3:59
6. Could This Be Love performed by Lopez / Lawrence Dermer / Angie Chirino - 4:26
7. No Me Ames [Tropical Mix] performed by Lopez / Marc Anthony / Velasquez, Jose Miguel - 5:03
8. Waiting for Tonight performed by Lopez / Margret Dorn / Juan Barrett - 4:06
9. Open Off My Love performed by Lopez / Billie Lawrence / Tracy Reid / Al West - 4:35
10. Promise Me You'll Try performed by Lopez / Peter Zizzo / Tom Barney - 3:52
11. It's Not That Serious performed by Lopez / LaShawn Daniels / Jennifer Karr - 4:17
12. Talk About Us performed by Lopez / Seven Mile / Cohesha Owens / Dan Shea - 4:35
13. No Me Ames [Ballad Version] performed by Lopez / Marc Anthony / Velasquez, Jose Miguel - 4:38
14. Una Noche Mas performed by Lopez / Margret Dorn / Juan Barrett - 6:39

Biography

AMG REVIEW: Most snickered when Jennifer Lopez made her pop move in 1999, figuring that it was no more than a one-off vanity project. As it turns out, she was as serious about her pop career as she was about acting, and even if she didn't possess a particularly distinguished voice, she was earnest and had some good mainstream pop singles, delivered with some seriously sexy videos. On the Six was big enough of a success to raise expectations for its sequel, J-Lo, the first self-styled blockbuster of 2001.

Essentially, this is the same album as On the Six, only a little longer with a little less focus and not as many memorable songs. This lack of winning singles becomes a drag, since at over an hour, the record meanders much longer than it should. Yet, meander isn't really the right word, because the album sets its tone from the start, with the ingratiating "Love Don't Cost a Thing." From that point on, the tinny, skittering drum machines, smooth midrange, and alluringly thin vocals remain the same from song to song, with the occasional Latin cut thrown in to vary the rhythm somewhat. Since both the production and Lopez play it cool, not hot, and there's not that many hooks, it all tends to blend together.

Those that have hooks need a couple of spins before they catch hold, whether it's the aforementioned lead single "Love Don't Cost a Thing," "I'm Real," "Play," or "We Gotta Talk." Lopez's strong suit remains dance tunes, not ballads, which tend to disappear in this reserved production and mannered vocals (no more so than "Secretly," which never seems to gel). So, J-Lo winds up as musically a mixed bag. Its longer running time makes it a little less appealing than its predecessor, yet it has just about the same number of strong songs, all of which sounding of a piece with On the Six, which makes it a success on a certain level. Still, there's this certain feeling of staid complacency and ordinariness that makes J-Lo feel less fun than her debut. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album Songs

1. Love Don't Cost a Thing (Franklin/Harris/Lawson/Monroe/Sharpe) - 3:42
2. I'm Real (L.E.S./Lopez/Oliver/Rooney) - 4:57
3. Play (Bagge/Birgisson/Milian/Rooney) - 3:32
4. Walking on Sunshine (Combs/Jones/Knight/Lopez/Winans) - 3:46
5. Ain't It Funny (Lopez/Rooney) - 4:06
6. Cariño (Benito/Creque/Edghill/Lopez/Rodriguez/Rooney/Sanchez) - 4:15
7. Come Over (Bell/Collins/Combs/Winans) - 4:53
8. We Gotta Talk (Estiverne/Kelly/Lopez/Morrison/Oliver/Rooney) - 4:07
9. That's Not Me (Combs/Love/Winans) - 4:33
10. Dance With Me (Combs/Jones/Knight/Winans) - 3:54
11. Secretly (Lopez/Oliver/Rooney/Shakir) - 4:25
12. I'm Gonna Be Alright (Chase/Cook/Lopez/O'Brien Anth/Oliver/Robinson/Rooney) - 3:44
13. That's the Way (Daniels/Jenkins/Jerkins/Payne) - 3:53
14. Dame (Touch Me) (Benito/Daniels/Jenkins/Jerkins) - 4:25
15. Si Ya Se Acabó (Benito/Contreras/Greco) - 3:37

Biography

Given that Jennifer Lopez's up-tempo material tends to work much better than her slower recordings, there would seem some potential for an album of remixes of her dance-oriented tracks as more than just a stopgap between regular releases. But J to tha L-O!: The Remixes is a collection of odds and ends. Of course, as usual, the term "remix" is a misnomer; these are versions of Lopez recordings to which other elements have been added, not simply remixes of the existing tracks.

The first four rhythmic, but not really dance-worthy tracks are really Lopez-plus-rapping, much of which clashes with the tone of the original songs. For example, Fat Joe's comments during "Love Don't Cost a Thing" seem to deny the point of the lyrics Lopez is singing. But by far the worst of the rap remixes is "Feelin' So Good," on which ex-flame Sean "Puffy" Combs provides typically lame remarks, most of which consist simply of the comment, "This is the remix," which he mutters over

Lopez's vocal track. Thankfully, there are a few selections here that will work well on the dancefloor, starting with the Metro remix of "Walking on Sunshine." Pablo Flores' remix of "Let's Get Loud" is particularly impressive, and Hex Hector's take on "Waiting for Tonight" casts the song as a traditional Hi-NRG workout. The album concludes with a track that isn't a remix, the ballad "Alive" from Lopez's 2002 film Enough. Unfortunately, her vocal limitations come to the fore when she is spotlighted on such a song without a dance arrangement to support her. But such technical problems are not as big a deal as her lack of emotional involvement. Though she tries to fake it here and there, she still sounds like she's singing her grocery list instead of the song's clichéd lyrics. — William Ruhlmann

Album Songs

1. Love Don't Cost a Thing performed by Lopez / Fat Joe - 4:18
2. Ain't It Funny performed by Lopez / Ja Rule / Caddillac Tah - 3:49
3. I'm Gonna Be Alright [Track Masters Remix] performed by Lopez / 50 Cent - 3:53
4. I'm Real performed by Lopez / Ja Rule - 4:18
5. Walking on Sunshine [Metro Mix] (Anderson/Combs/Jamison/Jones/Knight/Lopez/Shorpshire/Winans) - 5:50
6. If You Had My Love (Daniels/Jenkins/Jerkins/Rooney) - 4:11
7. Feelin' So Good [Bad Boy Remix] performed by Lopez / P. Diddy / G. Dep - 4:27
8. Let's Get Loud [Pablo Flores Remix] (Estefan/Santander) - 5:29
9. Play (Bagge/Birgisson/Milian/Rooney) - 4:18
10. Waiting for Tonight (Christensen/Garvin/Temple) - 4:32
11. Alive (Judd/Lopez/Rooney) - 4:40

Biography

Don't pay attention to the title, which is absolutely nonsensical and bewildering — it suggests that This Is Me...Then is a compilation, which it isn't, and it also suggests that this has some sort of theme, which it doesn't — and concentrate on the music, which is the strongest, sultriest, best music Jennifer Lopez (who has abandoned the moniker J-Lo) has recorded for any of her three albums.

This, of course, doesn't mean that it's a radical musical departure, though there are differences here — the glitzy dance-pop has been phased out, there's a stronger urban soul vibe, particularly on the lush surfaces and sexy grooves — but it does mean that the album has a solid set of songs and a sharp production pitched directly at the mainstream of 2002, yet with nice allusions to classic soul and early-'80s pop-funk and soft rock. Since Lopez is a celebrity and a regular feature on gossip pages in the early days of the 21st century, and since she's unabashedly mainstream — her only attempts at street-cred are on the laughable lyrics to "Jenny From the Block," where she insists that success hasn't spoiled her yet and she's the same ol' Jen she's always been (if so, why the paparazzi on the back cover?) — it's easy for some listeners to dismiss her, but it's harder to make to make a pop album as easily enjoyable as this. Sure, there are some flaws — as mentioned above, "Jenny From the Block" is silly and no matter how much you love Ben Affleck,

"Dear Ben" is unbearably mawkish — but all mainstream pop albums stumble through filler. What counts is the overall feel and the highlights. Here, the feel is sexy, stylish, and fun, and there are numerous highlights, all feeling effortless. And if you think that's easy to do, take a listen to a few other pop-R&B albums from late 2002 (Stripped and Charmbracelet come to mind) and hear how good this record is. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album Songs

1. Still (Bell/Hill/Huggins/James/Lopez/Shelton/Veney) - 3:40
2. Loving You (Garvin/Mtume/Oliver/Rooney/Shapiro) - 3:45
3. I'm Glad (Lopez/Mr. Deyo/Oliver/Rooney/Weaver) - 3:42
4. The One (Bell/Creed/Deluge/Lopez/Rooney) - 3:36
5. Dear Ben (Edwards/Lopez/Rooney) - 3:14
6. All I Have performed by Lopez / LL Cool J - 4:14
7. Jenny from the Block performed by Lopez / Styles / Jadakiss - 3:08
8. Again (Hamlet/Lopez/Oliver/Rooney) - 5:47
9. You Belong to Me (McDonald/Simon) - 3:30
10. I've Been Thinkin' (Lopez/Rooney/Shea) - 4:41
11. Baby I Love U! (Barry/Lopez/Rooney/Shea) - 4:43
12. The One [#] (Bell/Creed/Deluge/Lopez/Rooney) - 3:31