And so it begins! The countdown to Jennifer Lopez's new album Love? next Tuesday is off and running. So here I go counting down her albums from good to the greatest!
7.) Como Ama Una Mujer
(March 2007)
The Set-Up
The downward spiral of Jennifer Lopez’s music career began with her 5th studio album and only continued with this release. She had her share of failed relationships and marriages, had spent a lot of time in the gossip magazines, and dealt with a lot of criticism for several bad movies she had starred in. But at least she was trying to change her ways by this time. She was married to singer Marc Anthony and did her best to try to keep her private life private, staying out of the spotlight and maturing.
The Play-by-Play
She starts things off right with the explosive first single “Qué Hiciste”, proving that she really does have a strong voice despite critics speaking out otherwise. She continues the hot trend with the second single, coming out with a little bit of a rock edge, “Me Haces Falta”. “Como Ama Una Mujer” highlights the beauty in her voice, then suddenly we get another glimpse of an upbeat side to all of this album with “Te Voy A Querer”. But then from here on out, the songs tend to drag out, showing the beauty in her voice with more Spanish ballads, but certainly not adding the amount of spice I was expecting from her. She decides to re-do a dud from her last album Rebirth called “I Can’t Believe This Is Me”, but this time of course it's titled as “Porque Te Marchas”, which despite its dramatic corniness, it actually surpasses the English version. Following that remake, she goes into another beautiful duet with Marc Anthony (making it the 3rd between the two of them) “Por Arriesgarnos”. “Tù”, “Amarte Es Todo”, “Apresùrate”, “Sola”, and “Adiòs” close out the album with nothing really groundbreaking or exciting to show for itself.
The Point
It was great to see Jennifer Lopez step out of her regular realm of pop music and try something different. She is a true Latina after all, and it was great to hear her get back to her roots, but it’s not the J.Lo that we’ve all come to love. It’s not a bad album. It’s just that compared to her other albums (which you’ll hear about soon enough) it’s not as exciting or fun. But nevertheless, her voice has never sounded so beautiful and pure as it does on this album though.
The Essentials
“Qué Hiciste” is the standout of the album, switching back and forth effectively from a quiet storm into a powerhouse refrain.
“Me Haces Falta” is another great one from this album that shows off a bit of a Latin-rock edge for Ms. Lopez.
