J. Lo

You know, Jennifer Lopez is a difficult entertainer to dislike. Check her out in The Cell for Christ’s sake -“ a near ideal portrait of a selfless Madonna-figure seguing into surreal super-vamp Bride of Frankenstein. She was no Alexis Colby, but old school camp of the highest order regardless. Besides, the deplorable Mariah Carey hates Lopez, so you’re left to decide just whose side you want to be on. Carey’s ridiculous Glitter thing was like a cheap Mattel accessory -“ which, given Mariah’s bitter breakdown at the time, came off to the public a little like the fabled shiny red apple from the evil queen. Lopez on the other hand has been hitting a series of home runs with the singles off her 2001 studio release J. Lo. So here they are again, remixed and housed-up for the party set. Included are beat-injected versions of the tracks Love Don’t Cost A Thing, I’m Real, If You Had My Love and Play -“ plus a half dozen or so remixes of less known, yet almost equally lovable pop tracks. Two reality checks must be accepted in reviewing this release. One is that it is really just a marketing ploy to keep the J. Lo juggernaut on track in anticipation for a new studio release possibly later in the year. The other consideration is the title: J To Tha L-O. Last time I checked Lopez wasn’t a panellist on The Ricky Lake Show. Drop the Fly Girl routine, Lopez. It’s cheap.