English Album Review - February 5

Jennifer Lopez – J Lo
Genre: Club/dance, Latin pop
Rating * * * *
Jennifer Lopez's second album establishes the actress's coming of age as a singer. The sultry Latin diva, who started out in musical theatre as a child voice in a number of settings, dominates her art in this exhilarating 15-track opus.

Simply titled J Lo the repertoire ranges from pop ballads to Latin pop and R&B. Lopez's singing is mature and perfectly polished, characteristics that were conspicuously missing from her 1999 debut On The 6. Clever song selection and variation show off the gentler side of Lopez's vocal gifts but it's on the R&B and Latin-tinged tracks where she really shines.

Along with the insistent first single Love Don't Cost A Thing, cuts like I'm Real, Play, Walking On Sunshine, Ain't It Funny, have a fiery, contemporary feel.

Though the album has a tendency to capitalise on this spicy, upbeat side, Lopez is at her best on the mid-tempo ballads, Ain't It Funny, That's Not Me and the outstanding I'm Gonna Be Alright.

Tracks like Carino, Dance With Me, Dame and Si Ya Se Acabo draw inspiration from R&B and Latin styles while emphasising Lopez's distinctive heritage and in keeping with her public persona.

Though Lopez has sincerely pursued her acting career, her rightful talent lies as a pop diva in the tradition of Gloria Estefan. With this record she has demonstrated that she's a singer who can cross over into the smooth confines of adult contemporary radio or mainstream pop without losing or betraying the Latin soul that lies at the foundation of her music.
Her talent burns at its brightest on J Lo.

Whitney Houston – Dance
MegamixGenre: Pop, dance pop, disco
Rating * * *
Whitney Houston has one of the most powerful and polished voices in popular music, an instrument capable of balladic intimacy, gospel and soulful expression. But sometimes she uses it to sell the blandest pop. But even so her fan targetting has worked wonders for her career and resulted in sales topping the 20 million mark.

This Dance Megamix EP, by Love To Infinity, brings together all the hits that made Houston's career in the late '80s. Many of the songs had their moments in the original versions, particularly when Houston leaned towards R&B, but as a megamix it does not have that much appeal.

Houston comes from a solid musical background – being the daughter of soul singer Cissy Houston and cousin of Dionne Warwick. During the early days of her career Houston relied heavily on MTV videos to help break the colour barrier knocked down originally by Michael Jackson.

Houston's star struggles to shine on this largely uptempo disc that, even if designed for night clubs, sounds a trifle outdated coming almost 10 years since she first made it big.

Might be a clever marketing move by her label, but as music it's not much.


The Waterboys – Is She Conscious?
Genre: Folk rock, alternative rock
Rating: * * * *
Mike Scott's Waterboys are an immediately intriguing band. What with their surging acoustic guitars and poetic lyrics this was music of a high. Is She Conscious? is the mercurial first single from the English band's new album.

Like much of their previous work, from albums like A Pagan Place and Fisherman's Blues, this is a tortuously lovely art song that recalls Van Morisson's epic work Astral Weeks. The song is a portrait in bitterness that also draws comparisons with some of Dylan's mid-career work.

A fusion of Celtic soul and rock power Is She Conscious? sounds the revival of a genuine and idiosyncratic band who made such wonderful music with songs like She Is So Beautiful and The Whole of the Moon.

Scott sings with a strange, cinematic narrative while the lyrics reveal a broadening of writing. Powerful and hypnotic, it is clear that he was simply overcome by feeling when writing it, something which his most ardent fans will identify with.

It's the kind of song that stimulates at once, but in the end leaves you wanting more. I, for one, would prefer buying the whole record – The Waterboys never have been and never will be, a singles band. They're far too brilliant to be restricted to a four-minute tune.


Pink – You Make Me Sick
Genre: Hip hop, trip-hopRating * * *
The new single from the girl with the now famous shocking pink hair-do is just as good, or bad!, as it's predecessor There You Go from her debut album Can't Take Me Home.

The title is perhaps the most appropriate description of the approach taken by the artist in her bid to attract attention. Pink has chosen to push her songs straight into the pop world and uses a combination of outrageous looks and cool singing to help her succeed. There's no doubt she's on the right track even if it seems a touch crass to adopt such an approach.

Musically, You Make Sick is one of the better tracks from the album which is produced by Babyface and LA Ried, two of the hottest guys in the business. The song works simply because Pink shades the hip hop with great subtlety, working off and around the musical backing, instead of against it. But to prove that she's not boring, she adopts a sassy singing style to match her looks. Enough to make it worthwhile, but nothing all that distinctive either.