Getting the Lo down

J. Lo, Jennifer Lopez's sophomore follow-up to On the 6 is a meteoric attempt to climb the charts of "TRL." Lopez may be well known as a former "Fly Girl" and current movie actress, however, her vocal talents are nonexistent. The songs on the album could have been written by any 12-year-old girl who is pining for the boy in her science class. Not to say bubble gum pop can't be fun, but it requires catchy lyrics, an upbeat voice, and groovin' beats. \nLopez has neither an upbeat voice with much range (another good example of this is Christina Aguilera) or songwriters with much talent. \nThe first single released from the album, "Love Don't Cost a Thing," is the best track on the album, maybe because of its heavy rotation on MTV as well as the "Making The Video" that constantly plays. Aside from Lopez romping in the sand, the song actually is catchy enough to make it a radio favorite. The lyrics may be somewhat basic, but the message of the song is important. Independent women do not need a man to buy them diamonds the size of small cars; rather they need love and attention. \nThe other song worth mentioning is "That's the Way", which is produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who has produced for Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton. This song showcases Jennifer's range and has a beat that keeps the listener's attention. \nSurprisingly, Jennifer gets in touch with her Latin roots on the last two tracks of the album. "Dame" and "Si Ya Se Acabó" are sung in Spanish and accompanied by big band instruments. When listening to these songs I felt like I should be in a lounge chair with a pina colada in my hand ordering around a cabana boy. That actually is a great feeling to derive from a pop song.\nCliched lyrics and beats that sound all too familiar weigh down the album. A few times I thought I was listening to a song from the previous album. Although Sean "Puffy" Combs lends his expertise to producing two tracks, he can't save his girlfriend. She should stick to more club, techno songs or to Spanish songs, at which she shines. A couple songs could be fun to listen to, but you definitely don't want to dig into your pockets to buy this CD.