The rules of modern celebrity dictate that artistic achievement,
wherever it appears, should be downgraded in favour of the sheer
full-wattage brightness of the star in question. Whilst Jennifer
Lopez is no Salvador Dali, she remains a consummate pop artist of
the day: multi-tasking her way from Hollywood Latino princess to
telegenic MTV uber-diva.
She won’t necessarily win awards for vocal gymnastics, but her
range is perfectly suited to this collection of upbeat dancefloor
cuts (with the obligatory affirmative power ballad, ‘Alive’).
Cynics might’ve seen collaborations with Ja Rule, Fat Joe and
Trackmasters as a way of getting some hip-hop shine, if Lopez
hadn’t been so resolutely down with the programme for a while now.
As tracks proceed further, from Latino House abstracts to
Spanish versions of previous hits, it’s apparent the agenda
here is mainly fun. Just dance, OK.
Dele Fadele