Jennifer Lopez
J.Lo
Release Date: 01.23.2001
Epic Records

The gal with the most famous booty on MTV has had an intense year. Besides riding high on the success of her debut album, On the 6, Jennifer Lopez stood by her beau/bad boy Sean "Puffy" Combs during his legal woes, promoted her starring role in the sci-fi thriller The Cell, and in between it all still found time to dig deep into her roots and record her sophomore album, J. Lo.

The title is derived from a nickname from back in her native Bronx, NYC, while the sound comes straight from a hard-hitting blend of salsa, R&B, pop, and dance tunes built for those who want to bump'n'grind the night away. With only two ballads on the album - and one of them still danceable - the vibe screams "shake it like you used to be a Fly Girl!" However, the high energy makes J. Lo a hard record to listen to all at once.

Working side by side with producer Cory Rooney, and enlisting help from Puffy himself, the end result is a collection of tunes that J. Lo uses to try to prove she's not just a pretty face, but a real artist. Check out the chorus to "I'm Real," where Lopez begs you to understand, "I'm Real / What you get is what you see/ What you trying to do to me."

J-Lo kicks off with the first single, the R&B-pop fusion of "Love Don't Cost A Thing" where Lopez explains that "credit cards aren't romance." Meanwhile, on the aforementioned "I'm Real," Jennifer sings a Janet Jackson-esque (reminiscent of "When I Think Of You") anthem that goes lighter on the bass and softer on the vocals. Elsewhere, songs like "Play" and "Walking on Sunshine" are both waiting and ready for re-mixing.

On the spicy "Carina", the album takes on a full salsa twist, complete with authentic Latin beats (and Marc Anthony's band). Jennifer goes all the way on "Si Ya Se Acabo," another heavy hitting Latin track sung solely in Spanish - it's one of the only songs on the album where you can hear Jennifer's vocal skills clearly. When she's not drowned out by techno, dance, and hip-hop beats, Lopez sports a silky voice that holds its own. Her full vocal potential has not yet been fully realized, but if the multi-talented Lopez spent more time working at it, she could be at the top of the pop and Latin heap.

J. Lo isn't perfect - songs like "That's Not Me" and "We Gotta Talk" have jumpin' beats and soulful rhythms, but fall flat along the way to the climax. But overall, the album's 15 pumping, dance-laden tracks insist less that you listen closely than that you shake your rump. As Jennifer expresses herself as an independent, real, woman on songs like "I'm Gonna Be Alright," her strongest girl power tune, critics can't help but to agree with her.