Album review: ‘Love?’ from Jennifer Lopez

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As a judge on the revamped “American Idol,” Jennifer Lopez has staged a full-court comeback from the dark days of 2010, when her movie “The Back-up Plan” flopped in theaters and her single “Louboutins” withered on the radio. With “On the Floor,” the thumping lead cut from her new studio album, she’s even returned to the upper reaches of Billboard’s Hot 100.

Yet the remainder of “Love?” disrupts Lopez’s unlikely rebound narrative: It’s a limp, personality-free dance-pop collection with plenty of A-list collaborations (Tricky Stewart, RedOne, Lady Gaga) but none of the lightweight charm she once brought in hits like “Waiting for Tonight” and “Jenny From the Block.”

That lack of flavor won’t necessarily prevent these tunes from bolstering the newly lucrative Lopez brand; indeed, their very watery-ness may lubricate the transition into whatever phase her multimedia campaign enters next. But coming from a star whose weekly “Idol” pronouncements emphasize the value of charisma, “Love?” definitely disappoints.

Jennifer Lopez
“Love?”
(Island Def Jam)
One and a half stars (Out of four)

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—Mikael Wood