Record Exchange Boise

Reviews:

Don't let the title trick you into looking for too radical a change in Jennifer Lopez's music. While Madonna--the Lopez brand business model--releases diverse records that lay bare her shrewd talent to reinvent herself as an autonomous superstar, each of Lopez's albums betray the influence of the men in her life. J-Lo co-opted a P. Diddy-style nickname and his bling, bad-ass image; This Is Me... Then sagged with syrupy, Ben-inspired love songs. If anything, then, Rebirth is shorthand for "I'm married to Marc Anthony now."That said, Lopez's vocals have improved with each record, and on "Rebirth" she sings with an emboldened confidence. She throws herself capably into power ballads that recall Anthony's bombastic hits: "Can't Believe This Is Me" (co-written by Anthony) and "He'll Be Back" skillfully employ his brokenhearted, baby-please-don't-go dramatics. The CD boasts a handful of killer grooves. Lead single "Get Right" revels in its trashy, repeated saxophone hook, and though "Cherry Pie" isn't a Warrant cover, it does add crunchy guitars into the mix, while still sounding like a Jennifer Lopez single: savvy, instantly catchy, and super-danceable. But overall Rebirth shirks from its promise of reinvention. And if her marriage to Anthony endures, we could be looking at more, bigger ballads from here on out.