Happy belated birthday, J.Lo! We got you this set of mostly lukewarm blurbs…
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[5.71]
Anjy Ou: A classic reggaeton track to announce Jennifer Lopez’s first Spanish album in 10 years. Her vocals would ordinarily be drowned out by the energy of Gente de Zona, but she clearly took vocal direction from Marc Anthony (executive producer of the album) for this one. And it pays off — Anthony’s signature dramatic flair matches the exuberance of the lyrics, and ensures that you maintain a little shimmy in your seat as the song plays. Or maybe that’s just me? Would definitely pull out my two-move Latin dance arsenal if this were playing on a dancefloor.
[6]
Alfred Soto: If I hadn’t glanced at the credits, I would’ve said, “Who’s the singer?” Steely and assured, Jennifer Lopez has almost twenty years of craft to draw on for this garrulous “I Will Survive” progeny.
[7]
Iain Mew: Rich horns and a series of lines running each into the back of the last one set it up well, but then the chorus just seeps out to be swallowed by an empty summer sky.
[4]
Will Adams: The verses seem tailor-made for Lopez, who shows how warm she can sound when given the right material. The chorus, conversely, goes anonymous with a call-and-response hook that isn’t strong enough to stand up to the thump.
[5]
Ryo Miyauchi: J.Lo has yet to break her success streak playing along with current pop trends since the beginning of this millennium. But like her other hits, “Ni Tú Ni Yo” leaves a feeling that another artist could’ve made it an even better single. The heaven-sized love here can use a more powerful voice to carry it upon its back.
[6]
Stephen Eisermann: J.Lo has been working really hard on her Marc Anthony impression, that’s for sure. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this song — the energy is high, the horns provide the perfect accompaniment to the Spanish percussion, and the lyrics are romantic and lovely. The problem, really, lies in J.Lo’s performance; in her effort to sound just like Marc Anthony (I bet there’s a demo somewhere with his vocals on this) she comes across as very karaoke and doesn’t sell the song as her own. I’ve never been a fan of J.Lo’s musical output (in large part due to her middling voice), but when she was paired with the right song (“Jenny from the Block,” “Que Hiciste”), her attitude and conviction could carry the track. Here, however, the chemistry is missing and the fit isn’t quite right. If I wanted to hear a Marc Anthony track, I’d spin one. I wouldn’t look to his ex-wife for a tepid version.
[5]
Austin Brown: No chance of crossover with an instrumental this genre-bound, but no matter when it’s as well-crafted as this. A softly insistent horn accompaniment thickens the mix just so, and Lopez and Gente de Zona deftly wind through the song as their characters flirt and brush past each other. When they finally intersect at the end of the second verse, on “pero prefiero la tuya” (“but I prefer yours”), there’s a deeply felt truth to their infatuation that renders the song into something undeniably singular.
[7]