J.Lo

J.Lo is the second studio album by singer-songwriter Jennifer Lopez, released in January 2001 by Epic Records. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with 272,000 copies sold in its opening week,[1] staying in the top twenty for six weeks, after the single "Love Don't Cost a Thing" had reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Play", performed moderately but disappointingly, which led Lopez's team to bring in Ja Rule of The Inc. Records (then known as Murder Inc. Records) to create "Murder remixes" of "I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny". These remixes, which are essentially different songs with the same title, both topped the Hot 100. This album is more urban than On The 6 as it leaned towards R&B and less of a pure pop sound.

On July 24, 2001 (coinciding with Lopez's thirty-second birthday), the album was re-released with the Murder Remix of "I'm Real" as a bonus track. The re-release came with a Parental Advisory warning, although the initial release did not come with one. Although there are quite a number of uses strong language and sexual content on the main album itself ("I'm Real", "Play", "Come Over"), many speculate that the large number of uses of strong language and racial slurs in the bonus track led the record company to add the Parental Advisory warning to the album. A similar thing happened with Janet Jackson's album All for You (2001). It is Lopez's most commercially successful album to date with over eight and a half million copies sold worldwide. It is the only studio album by Lopez to feature a parental advisory sticker on the cover.[2]

Singles from J.Lo
"Love Don't Cost a Thing"
Released: December 1, 2000
"Play"
Released: April 24, 2001
"Ain't It Funny"
Released: July 3, 2001
"I'm Real"
Released: October 16, 2001
"Cariño (promo only)"
Released: 2001
"Si Ya Se Acabó (Spain only)"
Released: 2001

Music

J.Lo was more urban oriented then her debut album, On the 6, which incorporates dance-pop, R&B and latin pop. The style and sound of the album was compared to the works of Janet Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Paula Abdul, TLC and Destiny's Child.[3][4] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called the album "a mixed bag: part retro dance-pop, part prescription R&B, and part Latin."[3] "Love Don't Cost a Thing", which is the album's opening track, was produced by Ric Wake. According to Cinquemani, some songs on the album have '80s and '90s styles, as he described "I'm Real" to a "reminiscent of Janet" and "Walking on Sunshine" to a '90s standards with a retro sound, drawing comparisons to "Waiting for Tonight."[3] It is followed by the latin-oriented "Ain't It Funny", which contains a choir of back-up vocalists singing the chorus. Described as a "mixed-meter piece of self-empowerment,"[3] "That's Not Me" is an arrangement of acoustic guitar, piano and complex vocals.[3]

Release and promotion

The album's lead single, "Love Don't Cost a Thing", was included on the soundtrack of the film, The Wedding Planner, in which she starred in. The album was re-released on July 24, 2001 with the Murder Remix of "I'm Real" as a bonus track. The initial release of the album did not come with a Parental Advisory warning, although when the album was re-released the record label added the Parental Advisory warning to the re-release of the album. A remix album version of the album, J to tha L–O!: The Remixes, was released on February 6, 2002 in the United States by Epic Records. The remix album became the first to debut at number one on the Billboard 200,[5] selling over 156,000 copies in its opening week.[6] It is also the third best-selling remix album of all time, after Michael Jackson's Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997) and Madonna's You Can Dance (1987). It featured three new singles, "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix), "I'm Gonna Be Alright" (Track Masters Remix), and "Alive" including two collaborations with rapper Ja Rule.

"Love Don't Cost a Thing" was released as the album's lead single. The song topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries.[7] "Play", the second single, was less successful than "Love Don't Cost a Thing", having managed a peak position of number eighteen on the Hot 100. The song was well-received in the in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland.[8] The third single, "Ain't It Funny", failed to chart in the United States although reached the top ten in the UK. "I'm Real", the album's final commercial single in the United States, peaked at number one on the Hot 100,[9] as well as reaching the top ten in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Critical response
[hide] Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [10]
Entertainment Weekly (C-)[11]
NME (3/10)[12]
Rolling Stone [13]
Slant Magazine [3]
Yahoo! Music UK [4]
Upon its release, J.Lobot received generally mixed reviews from music critics. According to Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, it received an average score of 52 based on 11 reviews.[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic stated, "Essentially, this is the same album as On the Six, only a little longer with a little less focus and not as many memorable songs. This lack of winning singles becomes a drag, since at over an hour, the record meanders much longer than it should. [...] meander isn't really the right word, because the album sets its tone from the start".[10] Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly gave J.Lo a C- and commented on Lopez's vocals saying that "There's no way to know if Jennifer Lopez's voice is mechanically altered or not, but on the recorded evidence of her sophomore album, J.Lo, her singing seems to be in key".[11] Sinclair also added, "Our gal consistently aims for the lowest common denominator, shamelessly spouting disco era banalities ... on several dance tracks, and cooing about L U V and S E X everywhere else."[11]
Jon Pareles of Rolling Stone felt "that most of the music sounds like jigsaw puzzles: showers of tiny bits and pieces that interlock as complex, coherent songs."[13] Pareles also stated that "Lopez tries to coo and whisper" on the ballads while comparing her vocals to that of Janet Jackson.[13] He disapproved of latin pop songs like "Ain't It Funny" and "Si Ya Se Acabó" commenting, "She piles on Hispanic signifiers ... only to sound like she's repeatedly remaking Madonna's "Isla Bonita."[13] Christian Ward of NME gave the album negative reviews, giving it a 3/10 rating while describing Lopez to a market between, like, Janet Jackson and Gloria Estefan.[12] Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani felt "that so many of the tracks on her sophomore effort, J. Lo, sound like they're straight out of 1986" and compared the album to Janet Jackson's Control era.[3] Jake Barnes of Yahoo! Music UK gave the album 5 out of 10 stars and said that "The number one hit 'Love Don't Cost A Thing' kicks off this 15 track album and from then on it's kind of ... OK-Lo."[4]

Commercial performance
In the United States, J.Lo debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, grossing a total of over 272,000 copies sold in its opening week.[1] In addition, her 2001 film, The Wedding Planner, opened at number one at the box office making her the first actress and singer in history to have a film and an album, at number one in the same week.[15] The album was first certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 28, 2001, denoting 500,000 units shipped within the United States.[16] The same day, the album's certification was raised to platinum, denoting 1,000,000 units shipped.[16] Seven months later, J.Lo was certified multi-platinum on August 3, 2001 and then certified triple platinum on November 2, 2001.[16] Two years later, it was again certified 4× Multi-Platinum on October 31, 2003.[16] In the United Kingdom, it reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, just behind Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water.[17]

Track listing

Standard Edition
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Love Don't Cost a Thing" Damon Sharpe, Greg Lawson,Eva, Georgette Franklin, Jeremy Monroe, Amil Harris Anders Bagge, Arnthor Birgisson 3:41
2. "I'm Real" L.E.S, Cory Rooney, Jennifer Lopez,Troy Oliver Cory Rooney, Troy Oliver 4:58
3. "Play" Rooney,Bagge, Birgisson, Christina Milian Anders Bagge, Arnthor Birgisson 3:32
4. "Walking on Sunshine" Sean Combs,Lopez, Mario Winans, Jack Knight, Michael "Lo" Jones Sean Combs, Cory Rooney, Mario Winans 3:46
5. "Ain't It Funny" Rooney, Lopez Cory Rooney 4:06
6. "Cariño" Rooney, Lopez, Manny Benito, Neal Creque, Jose Sanchez, Frank Rodriguez, Guillermo Edghill Jr. Cory Rooney, Jose Sanchez, Frank Rodriguez, Guillermo Edghill Jr. 4:15
7. "Come Over" Combs, Winans, Michelle Bell, Kip Colllins Sean Combs, Mario Winans, Kip Collins 4:53
8. "We Gotta Talk" Rooney, Lopez, Oliver, Tina Morrison, Steve Estiverne, Joe Kelly Cory Rooney, Troy Oliver 4:07
9. "That's Not Me" Combs, Winans, Kandice Love Sean Combs, Mario Winans 4:33
10. "Dance with Me" Combs, Winans, J. Knight, M. Jones Sean Combs, Mario Winans 3:54
11. "Secretly" Rooney, Lopez, Oliver, Kalilah Shakir Cory Rooney, Troy Oliver 4:25
12. "I'm Gonna Be Alright" Rooney, Lopez,Oliver, Ronald LaPread, Sylvia Robinson, Clifon Nathaniel Chase, Lorraine Cheryl Cook, Anthony Guy O'Brien, Anthony Michael Wright Cory Rooney, Troy Oliver 3:44
13. "That's the Way" Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Nora Payne, LaShawn Daniels Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels 3:53
14. "Dame (Touch Me)" (duet with Chayanne) Jerkins, Jerkins III, M. Benito, Daniels Rodney Jerkins, Manny Benito 4:25
15. "Si Ya Se Acabó" Benito, Jimmy Greco, Ray Contreras,Eva Manny Benito, Jimmy Greco, Ray Contreras 3:37

U.S. Limited Edition Bonus Disc - First Edition
"Can't Believe This" - 4:44
U.S. Limited Edition Bonus Disc - Second Edition
"Pleasure Is Mine" – 4:19
"Amor Se Paga Con Amor (Love Don't Cost a Thing) (Spanish Version)" – 3:44
U.S. Special Edition
"I'm Real" (Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule) (Lopez, Oliver, Rooney, L.E.S., Jeffrey Atkins, Irving Lorenzo, Rick James) – 4:22
Latin American edition
"Amor Se Paga con Amor" (Sharpe, Lawson, Franklin, Monroe, Harris, Benito) – 3:44
"Cariño" (Spanish) (Lopez, Rooney, Benito, Creque, Sanchez, Rodriguez, Edghill) – 4:17
"Qué Ironía (Ain't It Funny)" (Lopez, Rooney, Benito, Tommy Mottola) – 4:07
Japanese edition
"I'm Waiting" – 3:11
UK, Australian, and Portuguese edition
"Pleasure Is Mine" – 4:19
"I'm Waiting" – 3:11
"I'm Real" (Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule) – 4:22

Musicians
Jennifer Lopez – lead vocals
Karen Anderson – backing vocals
Michelle Bell – backing vocals
Manny Benito – backing vocals
Jeannie Cruz – backing vocals
William Dubal – backing vocals
Kip Collins – instrumentation
Angel Fernandez – guitar
Mario Gonzalez – guitar
Ricky Gonzalez – piano, backing vocals
Jimmy Greco – keyboards
Nelson Gasu Jaime – piano
Richie Jones – drums

Ozzie Melendez – trombone, horn
Christina Milian – backing vocals
Troy Oliver – instrumentation
Nora Payne - backing vocals
Erben Perez - bass
Lena Pérez - backing vocals
Paul Pesco - guitar
Corey Rooney – backing vocals
Shelene Thomas – backing vocals
Rene Toledo – guitar
Mario Winans – backing vocals
Yanko – backing vocals

Production
Pauline Ligeralde – executive producer
Arnthor Birgisson– producer
Scott Barnes – make-up
Manny Benito – engineer, producer
Jorge Calandrelli – string arrangements
Kip Collins – producer
Sean "Puffy" Combs – producer, mixing
Ray Contreras – producer, arranger
Angel Fernandez – arranger
Paul Foley – engineer
Jimmy Greco – producer, arranger, drum programming
Dan Hetzel – engineer, mixing
Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing
Richie Jones – producer, arranger, mixing, programming
Jack Knight – arranger
Matt Kormondy – production assistant
Greg Lawson – arranger, programming
Glen Marchese – engineer
Rob Martinez – production assistant

Tony Maserati – mixing
William Nelson – production assistant
Joel Numa – engineer, string engineer
Troy Oliver – producer, programming, drum programming, keyboard programming
Michael Patterson – engineer, mixing
Julian Peploe – art direction, design
Corey Rooney – producer, executive producer, arranger, drum programming, keyboard programming
José R. Sanchez – producer, programming, drum programming, keyboard programming
Dave "Young Dave" Scheur – engineer
Dan Shea – producer, programming
Cesar Sogbe – mixing
Manelich Sotolong – assistant engineer
David Swope – engineer, assistant engineer, mixing assistant
Michael Hart Thompson – photography
J.C. Ulloa – engineer
Rick Wake – producer, arranger
Mario Winans – producer, instrumentation
Joe Zee – stylist

Nominations
MTV Video Music Awards
Best Female Video: "Love Don't Cost a Thing"
Best Dance Video: "Love Don't Cost a Thing"

Wins
MTV Europe Music Awards
Best Female Artist
MTV Video Music Awards
Best Hip-Hop Video: "I'm Real (Murder Remix)"

Chart (2001)[18][19] Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart 2
Austrian Albums Chart 3
Belgian Ultratop 50 Albums (Flanders) 3
Belgian Ultratop 50 Albums (Wallonia) 4
Canadian Albums Chart 1
Danish Albums Chart 15
Dutch Albums Chart 4
European Top 100 Albums[20] 1
Finnish Albums Chart 6
French SNEP Albums Chart 6
German Albums Chart[21] 1
Greek International Albums Chart[22] 1
Hungarian Mahasz Albums Chart[23] 15
Irish Albums Chart[24] 18

Chart (2001) Peak
position
Italian FIMI Albums Chart 8
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[25] 14
Norwegian Albums Chart 15
Polish Albums Chart[26] 1
Swedish Albums Chart 7
Swiss Albums Chart 1
UK Albums Chart[27] 2
U.S. Billboard 200 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1
U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums 2
Chart (2002) Peak
position
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart 3

Sales and certifications
Chart Certification Sales/Shipments
Argentina CAPIF Gold[28] 20,000
Austria IFPI Gold[29] 20,000
Australia ARIA 2× platinum[30] 140,000
Belgium IFPI Platinum[31] 40,000
Brazil ABPD Gold[32] 50,000
Canada CRIA 2× platinum[33] 200,000
Europe IFPI 2× platinum[34] 2,000,000
Finland IFPI Gold[35] 15,000
France SNEP Gold[36] 260,000[37]
Germany IFPI Platinum[38] 300,000 [39]
Greece IFPI Gold[40] 15,000
Mexico AMPROFON Gold[41] 75,000
Netherlands NVPI Platinum[42] 60,000
New Zealand RIANZ 2× platinum[43] 30,000
Norway IFPI Gold[44]
Poland ZPAV Gold[45] 30,000
Sweden IFPI Gold[46] 20,000
Switzerland IFPI 2× platinum[47] 80,000
UK BPI Platinum[48] 300,000
U.S. RIAA 4× platinum[49] 4,000,000
Worldwide — 9,000,000[2]

Chart procession and succession
Preceded by
1 by The Beatles European Top 100 Albums number-one album
February 3, 2001 – February 10, 2001 Succeeded by
No Angel by Dido
Swiss Albums Chart number-one album
February 4, 2001 Succeeded by
Homerun by Gotthard
German Albums Chart number-one album
February 5, 2001 – February 19, 2001 Succeeded by
1 by The Beatles
U.S. Billboard 200 number-one album
February 10, 2001 Succeeded by
Hot Shot by Shaggy
Polish Albums Chart number-one album
February 12, 2001 – February 19, 2001 Succeeded by
Golec uOrkiestra 2 by Golec uOrkiestra

Release history

Country Date Version
United States January 23, 2001 Original
July 24, 2001[50] Re-release
Japan January 24, 2001[51] Original
July 30, 2001[52] Re-release
United Kingdom July 22, 2001 Original