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Jennifer Lopez
Brave
By John Reed
After starting off quite strongly with several decent hits off her debut CD (On the Six) and its follow-up (J.Lo), Jennifer Lopez seemingly and effortlessly became a triple threat. Maybe we should blame Ben Affleck for her downfall. As soon as they started exchanging fluids, her career went from international superstar status to very special guest star on Will & Grace. Her releases from the past five years — This Is Me...Then, Rebirth and the Latino-laced snoozefest, Como Ama una Mujer — were all lifeless and lacked any passion or ambition, two things Lopez had always seemed to be full of.
So it’s a pleasant surprise that Lopez has pushed herself and finally released a good album. Sure, the lead off single, “Do It Well,” is a danceable and actually funky jam. (It’s also available in two versions, one with Ludacris that’s a hip-hop free cut.) Lopez also gets major points for “Hold It Don't Drop It,” a sampling of the classic Tavares ’70s soul/dance track, “It Only Takes a Minute.” “Hold It Don't Drop It” works very well in the content of 2007’s pop world and shows she really didn’t forget where to go for great musical inspiration. While Lopez has been on the wrong side of the music world the past few years, it seems she’s listening to people who know what they are doing (in the studio anyway). And if she continues to produce music like this, she may once again ascend to the pop princess throne vacated by Janet Jackson.
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