Jennifer Lopez

J.Lo (Explicit)
$7.99
Strange as it may sound this was always an album that interested me. Turn of the millenium pop music was something I was ignoring at the time because my musical interest of the time was pretty heavy jazz-funk. At this point Jennifer Lopez's musical concept seemed pretty interesting to me:that mix of modern latin dance-pop music with some references to contemporary R&B and actually a healthy helping of funk. Because of all her drama was P-Diddy and the whole press blitz that surrounded her at the time though I can see how her presense might've seemed clished and annoying. But as I often say you really can't get the singer confused with the song. It's a similar issue I faced in the past with Michael Jackson. But when I actually got a chance to listen to this album I found it not only an entertaining musical experience but one that was musically pretty potent as well. True to be said there are some songs here that are merely radio fodder for the day and,I have to say I have to put the big hit "Love Don't Cost A Thing As Among Them". That and songs such as "Walking On Sunshine","We Gotta Talk","That's Not Me","I'm Gonna Be Alright" and "That's The Way" are all kind of music-of-the-moment type tunes that probably sound great the first time but in the end don't leave any huge impression beyond their time. "Play" on the other hand is a hit that's also an amazing song! It's got this strong dance-funk groove with this Jam & Lewis/Prince style Minneapolis flavor and actually jams pretty hard for something so oriented around programming proving that,if you want to modern funk-pop doesn't have to be natural to be good. "I'm Real" has a somewhat more modern approch to a similar tune with a loop built around the Yellow Magic Orchestra. "Secretely" is one of the slower tunes on the album but the hook to the song,the reverbed pulse and Jen's multi tracked vocal harmonies give it a genuinely sexy flavor. One of the great things about this is how latin oriented much of the material is,much of it written and co-written by Jen herself."Carino" and "Dame" are sung in Spanish and the pop-salsa flavor of the song with their hot n heavy horns seem kind of a dry run for some of the music surrounding her in her role in the excellent Richard Gear film Shall We Dance? (Widescreen Edition). "Ain't It Funny","Dance With Me" and "Si Ya S Acabo'" are in English but capture that same flavor very strongly,kind of picking up where Gloria Estefan had gone before her. It might be all too easy to dismiss this album as nothing but pure pop fluff based soley on the impressions of the artist involved. But fact is this is a very potent album that,once you listen to it isn't perfect but has more than a handful of excellent songs and grooves to offer.

Enough
$14.94
What does a woman do when her husband cheats? How far can infidelity push a person? What can a wife do when she is physically and psychologically abused, and fears for her child? That's the theme of Sleeping with the...er...this movie, as Slim (Jennifer Lopez) falls for a wolf in sheep's clothing, Mitch (Billy Campbell).

Mitch appears to be the perfect husband; he's a wealthy contractor who adores his wife and his young daughter. But when Slim discovers that Mitch has been having affairs - so much so that he codes them numerically - she confronts him about it. Suddenly, Mitch becomes a cruel, abusive mad-man, telling Slim, "Look, I'm just a squirrel..." Honestly, Mitch tells her that he always "gets what he wants." So, naturally, Slim comes to the preposterous conclusion that she shouldn't report the problem to the police or a lawyer. She doesn't take pictures for evidence. She basically just kidnaps her child and runs out of state to hide out in hotels and a friend's house. Smooth move, Mitch'll never find you now. (roll eyes)

Overall I thought the actors did a decent job. Many say that Lopez can't act, but I happen to think that she's actually quite compelling - as is the rest of the cast. I'm sure that if the movie showed a LOT more flesh, she'd be received more favorably. Nothing else is all that impressive about the movie; everything else is just a matter of going through the paces.

Notes on the ending (Spoiler Alert!): It's incredibly stupid and insulting to anyone who has ever been in a real fight - Mitch would have destroyed Slim. You don't take a few months of self defense and suddenly wipe the floor with someone who possesses every possible physical advantage. Sorry, not gonna happen. Not only that, but movies in which there is an obvious flaw in the criminal law process, glossed over simply because it advocates the weak premise within, is lazy and irresponsible (especially considering the delicate subject matter). Had situations been reversed, this movie would have been lambasted by womyn groups. What I want to know is: Where is the outrage at blatant murder? I'm not trying to minimize battered women, but Slim is clearly guilty of murder. Instead of the you-go-girl, J-Lo ego-enhancing beat-down as the finale, it would have been better to see Slim on a chain-gang in west Texas, teary-eyed and reminiscing about a now teenage daughter who has to visit her mommy through a grimy plexi-glass wall in a viewing room.

Como Ama una Mujer
$8.99
This has to be one of the most wonderful albums ever made. The lyrics, the music, and oh my GOD! THE VOCALS!!

Como Ama Una Mujer has everything you could want from a deeply moving album.
Even after all this time, it still evokes the deepest emotions. Jennifer Lopez is my favorite artist. I put her ahead of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, EVERYONE, and this album only gives me more proof that she deserves it.

Every song is a true gem, from the gorgeous "Amarte Es Todo" to the desperation cry of lost time in "Apresurate". I don't skip over a single song.
"Por Arriesgarnos" took me by surprise, very slowly but surley, it has become my favorite song of the album.

"Tu" is a masterpiece unto itself. It sounds like an epic Italian rock love song from the 80's. The lyrics are extremly well versed and written, and the vocals are immaculate!

I LOVE YOU JENNIFER!

BUY THIS ALBUM. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND IT

This Is Me...Then
$7.99
When I listen to "This Is Me...Then" the first thing that jumps out at me is the maturity within the music. Ordinarily and if you read my other reviews of her albums, the first thing that stand's out to me is individual songs and that is the focus of my review and evaluation. However, I find the focus and evaluation undertaken here is directly involved with the maturity of the sound of the record. Jenny sounds for the first time introspective on an album of hers and I appreciate the insight and her letting us into her world. To finish up I will say that at the time, I thought this was her best record to date and while I think over time I have put J-Lo back above it and I think Brave might be her best, "This Is Me...Then" is a Masterpiece. I particularly enjoy the upbeat "Loving You", the soaring duet "All I Have", The very sweet "Baby, I Love You" and finally the hauntingly beautiful "Again" and the very moving "The One". Oh yeah I also love the peaceful and soothing "I've Been Thinkin".

Again this is a Masterpiece, Go out and give it a try.