J to tha L-O! The Remixes
Unlike most single-artist remix albums,J to tha L-O!actually has a purpose beyond raking in cash from fans. The best of these cuts brings much-needed weight to the often-weak writing, vocals, and production that mar Jennifer Lopez's two previous multiplatinum albums. The prize, of course, is her duet withJa Ruleon "I'm Real," but the other highlights (a Rodney Jerkins reworking of his own "If You Had My Love,"P. Diddy's "Feelin' So Good") follow along similar hip-hop/R&B; lines. Her stabs at street cred aren't always as successful; the 12-letter curse she employs on the Sack International Remix of "Play" is a good deal less than convincing. Generic house rhythms don't do anything for "Let's Get Loud" and "Walking on Sunshine." Finally, the new, tacked-on ballad "Alive," cowritten by the superstar, begins like "I Honestly Love You" but quickly proves itself a new "Greatest Love of All," filled with blind self-love. It's hard to tell if there's even anyone else in the room, or if she's just singing to a mirror.--Rickey Wright