Yuku free message boards

Brave, in stores Tuesday, is free of the languid hip-hop grooves, guest rappers and staid production that have diminished Lopez's musical appeal. The new disc is brisk and bright, and Lopez doesn't stretch her slight vocals as thin as on her previous pop records.

Maybe she's learned how to better disguise her limitations. Stacked vocals help. Or maybe a breakneck work pace suits la Lopez. Brave is her sixth studio disc and second this year, following March's unexpectedly elegant, Spanish-language Como Ama Una Mujer. That's in between film work (El Cantante) and a tour with husband Marc Anthony (Oct. 31 in Houston).

Whatever the reason, Brave is more fun than it probably should be and a big improvement over Rebirth, DOA in 2005. So back off, haters. There's no shame in digging Brave's snap, crackle and pop.

Producers J.R. Rotem, Ryan Tedder, Midi Mafia and Bloodshy give the disc a dance-soul glow that's both retro and of the minute, like less-complicated earlier hits Waiting for Tonight - still Lopez's pop pinnacle - and Let's Get Loud.

Stay Together, Forever and The Way It Is are a mix of glitterball glamour and liquid soul grooves. Hold It Don't Drop It, already a club hit, comes to dishy disco life via a horn-fueled sample of the Tavares tune It Only Takes a Minute.

First single Do It Well twists along an elastic blast of gym-workout energy. It's punched up even more in a bonus version featuring a bilingual Ludacris rap.

Gotta Be There scores bonus points for its Houston shout-out and an old-school Michael Jackson sample.

Mile In These Shoes is the requisite poor-me, diva declaration, but Lopez keeps the eye-rolling at bay with her slinky delivery of the tongue-in-cheeky lyrics. "Honey, these pumps are too big too fill," she coos. "My strut's so fierce."

Jennifer Lopez's upcoming album review is coming at 10:00 PM (ET)!

Is it finally possible? Is Jennifer's latest effort finally worth it? I guess so, at least that's what I feel. Lopez seems to have given an excellent album. Her album possess a lot of diversity, and it's very poppish, which is pretty good for her. The godess finally put a lot of work in her album, her voice is perfect, she really nailed it, and it sounds so great. Jennifer's new album doesn't really possess amazing songs, but the album in it's integrality contains a lot of quality tracks, and that's what I like about it. The album stays on the line of modern sounds, and that's a good step she took. I think Jennifer could really have an enormous hit with this album! Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Techno are very well blended, and Brave's a must buy album for every fans of the queen and all the R&B and Pop fans out there. FINALLY, THE END OF THE FLOP ERA THAT REBIRTH CREATED!
http://moviesmusicmagazine.wordpress.com/2007/09/29/braves-review/

Jennifer Lopez's Brave: A Return to Pop-Urban Roots

Jennifer Lopez is one of the biggest stars in the world. She has been able to capitalize her success as a Fly Girl on the comedy show In Living Color to being one of the biggest stars in music and acting. On her new album, Brave, Jennifer Lopez takes it back to her pop and urban roots. Unlike her last album, Como Ama Una Mujer, this album is completely an English-language album. Will Jennifer Lopez still be on top after Brave, or should she just stick to movies and perfumes?

The first single off of Brave is the catchy Do It Well. The song features the very famous from the song Keep On Truckin' by Eddie Kendricks. The song was most famously sampled on Mr. Cheeks' hit Lights, Cameras, Action. The song is a produced and written by Ryan Tedder and is a very solid dance track. Also featured on the album is the remix version of the song featuring rapper Ludacris. The song is the only song on the album to feature a guest appearance. Ludacris adds a Spanglish verse which only adds to the appeal of the song.

Hold It, Don't Drop It is another up-tempo song. The track was produced by hip hop producers Midi Mafia and features a sample from Tavares' hit It Only Takes A Minute. The song is a happy song and shows Jennifer at her best. She is definitely polished when she is featured over a dance record.

Mile In These Shoes is a very different song. The track is a mid-tempo, synth-heavy song. It is very different from other songs currently out on the market. It was produced by Warren Felder. The song is very unique and that adds appeal to it.

Wrong When You're Gone is a very solid mid-tempo song produced by the production and writing team The Clutch. The song is very catchy and is a surefire radio hit. The song features Lopez showing off her strongest vocal ability.

Stay Together produced by J.R. Rotem is an overall solid track. The beat is catchy and Jennifer delivers vocally.

Gotta Be There produced by The Platinum Brothers features a sample of the Jackson Five classic I Wanna Be Where You Are. The song is catchy and very danceable. The song is typical Jennifer Lopez.

Brave is a track produced from a collaboration between Bloodshy &Avant and The Clutch. The song is another catchy mid-tempo song. The song is a good way to close out the album as it closes the project off properly.

Overall, Brave is a good album from Jennifer Lopez. The songs are pop-driven with a tinge of urban music and non-offensive in nature. The album does not really take any risks, but it is the album you would expect from an international pop artist like Jennifer Lopez. Brave gets 7 out of 10 stars. If you're a fan of Jennifer Lopez, make sure you pick up Brave when it's in stores on October 9.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/398476/jennifer_lopezs_brave_a_return_to_popurban.html

Jennifer Lopez

Brave

RS: 2.5of 5 Stars Average User Rating: 4.5of 5 Stars

Even when she attempted to rep the block, Jennifer Lopez's music career has been about as edgy as her famous booty. Auto-Tune and star power have buoyed her since 1999's On the 6, but now J. Lo has turned away from the slick, minimalist future funk currently ruling the pop zeitgeist for chintzy production that screams 1990. Brave has two obsessions: love and cheesy strings. Dollops of orchestration are plopped onto all but two of twelve tracks, from the Latin freestyle-esque opener, "Stay Together" ("Heartbreaks are overrated, stay together, that's the new trend," insists the twice-divorced Lopez), to stubbornly undanceable midtempo duds like the synth-overloaded "The Way It Is" and "I Need Love," on which Lopez convinces herself it's time to quit partying and settle down. But the club, not love, is her salvation, as she proves on "Do It Well," the only track that lets J. Lo do her thing: dance.

CARYN GANZ

(Posted: Oct 18, 2007)