Four years have separated "Love?" from its predecessor "Brave", and quite alot has changed in Jennifer Lopez's life since 2007. Most notably, she gave birth to two children, dumped her record label, and took up a seat on the "American Idol" judges table. Although, consumed by all of these changes was her music, as she was dead quiet during those four years. In fact, had it not been for "On The Floor" (her biggest hit in over a decade), Jennifer Lopez, who's now reacquired her nickname JLO, would probably have left the music industry for good. She knew that "Love?" was going to have to accomplish many things in order to put her back on the map. "On the Floor" was definitely a confident step in the right direction, and it's fitting as the album's opener. After her ballad-heavy Spanish album and its listless follow up "Brave", JLO is finally ready to get back to the clubs. That's where her heart has always been anyway, the fiery Latin dance-pop is what made her a star, so she dives head-first into the glitchy electronics and vibrant sheen of 2011. The album cover reflects this, as it shows Jennifer to be as glam as she's ever been, and from the outside, "Love?" seems like a very tempting offering from a performer who's always incorporated style and flavor in her music. Upon the first listen, you'll understand the question mark in the album title: it doesn't quite know what it's supposed to be.
Then again, album titles have never been Jennifer's strong point, as they are either too obvious or too confusing, but she's always had a clear picture of where she wanted her sound to go. "Love?" kind of middles between these two extremes, as the subject of love is definitely present throughout most of the album, but the music tells a different story. To be clear, Jennifer was never about singing, she was always about rhythm and style, so while she's definitely developed her own distinguishable sound, her voice still cannot carry her songs on its own; it needs a power-house hook and gently charing music in order to give it a true, palpable presence. That's one major flaw of the album, another is that once again, it doesn't know what it's supposed to do or where it's supposed to go. The glossy album sleeve perfectly represents the music, as it is so effervescent, it immediately expands and loses all limits. This is turn creates a severe lack of focus, as it bounces back between powerful dance grooves and uninspired hip-hop songs. There's a ballad thrown into the mix, the stale "Until it Beats No More", and then there's just a bunch of stuff everywhere else. The hooks are never-the-less there, but the sparkling surface sheen becomes so blinding they too get thrown out of orbit. Even the guest appearances of PitBull and Lil Wayne can't bring them back into complete focus. Ultimately, it's like high-fashion wall paper, it looks good, but midway through the listen, the sheen peels away and you're left with nothing but a wall, which "Love?" hits several times throughout.
However, with all of its flaws aside, "Love?" does churn out some of Jennifer's best dance music. "On the Floor" definitely utilizes PitBull's raps and Jennifer's sultry voice to a giddy effect, Lil Wayne also manages to spice up "I'm into You" a little bit, and "Papi" is just flat out one of her best and most accomplished songs. At its best, the album hits hard and delivers on its promise, but at its worst, it highlights every single problem that comes with a Jennifer Lopez album. Her voice gets drowned by all of the noise, she just cannot seem to carry a ballad strongly, and she seems too obsessed with modern trends, and thus creates albums that are strictly in their year of release. It's a pleasant wash of sound, but "Love?" is just too glitzy for its own good. But, it's still pleasant all the same.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. On the Floor 2. Good Hit 3. I’m into You
4. (What is) Love? 5. Run the World 6. Papi
7. Until it Beats No More 8. One Love 9. Invading My Mind
10. Villain 11. Starting Over 12. Hypnotico
No comments:
Post a Comment