First, 2 tracks were leaked during recording & production; second, she left Sony Music Entertainment and joined Island Def Jam Music Group, not only turning her previous "lead single" off the album "Louboutins" into a non-album single, but also pushing back the release date from its original end-of-2009 release; third, she (alongside Aerosmith's Steven Tyler) became a judge on American Idol, replacing Paula Abdul; and fourth, she gave birth to twins Emme and Max with husband Marc Anthony. Despite the hullabaloo, Lopez finally released Love? in late April 2011.
Love? takes on a dance-pop sound, courtesy of highly-demanded producers like RedOne, Danja, Antonio "L.A." Reid and Stargate.
The album starts off with its lead single, "On the Floor", a dancefloor-worthy track featuring Cuban-American rapper Pitbull, followed by another dance track, "Good Hit". The album then takes it down a little with the Carribean-inspired second single, "I'm Into You" with Lil Wayne.
The theme of "love" is explored throughout the album, from club ditties "(What Is) Love?" ("I've been alone for the past three years on Valentine's Day/Christmas is no exception, birthdays, no naughty presents") and "Run the World" ("Me and you, our love could run the world"), to the more mellow "Until It Beats No More" ("If it's all I ever do, I never stop loving you") and the mid-tempo "One Love" ("Is it too much to ask/For a real love, something that will ask").
A high point of the album came in the form of "Papi", a spicy, pulsating, scorching hot club number with that does nothing but get on your feet and gyrate your troubles away.
Lady Gaga took part in the production process as well, co-producing "Invading My Mind" and co-penning "Hypnotico", 2 thumping tracks that truly belong to the dancefloor.
The other tracks in Love? are "Villian" and "Starting Over".
Bonus tracks included in the deluxe edition of Love? include "Everybody's Girl", "Charge Me Up", "Take Care" and "Ven a Bailar" (the Spanish version of "On the Floor").
From the ruckus of leaks, switching labels, Idol and birth, Lopez churned out an album that can be described as fabulous and pulsating, without being overpowering. Love? has proven to be tough competition against Britney Spears' Femme Fatale as the go-to dance album of 2011. Thus, Love? gets a...
4/5
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