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16 February Tuesday

Album Preview: Jennifer Lopez – ‘Love?’

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Jennifer Lopez sticks to her hitmaking formula on her seventh studio album Love? While it’s not due until April, Rap-Up.com was one of the first media outlets to hear nine tracks from the superstar’s dance floor-ready project, four months prior to its release. J.Lo’s first album since becoming a mother features contributions from heavy hitters including Danja, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, The Neptunes (“Fresh Out the Oven”), Stargate (“Story of My Life”), Tricky Stewart and The-Dream (“Louboutins”), and Wynter Gordon.

The follow-up to 2007’s Brave is scheduled for release around the same time as Lopez’s romantic comedy The Back-Up Plan, in theaters April 16. As the title implies, the album is a love roller coaster, taking you through the ups and downs of a relationship. Some of the tracks we previewed were not final mixes and may change between now and release, and more songs will be added. Check out our exclusive track-by-track breakdown.

1. “Everybody’s Girl”
Produced by Mike Caren, Written by Wynter Gordon

It’s hard having a private life when you’re one of the most famous entertainers in the world. J.Lo questions whether her man is capable of loving her under the intense glare of the spotlight. “Can you love somebody when they’re everybody’s girl?” she asks over the slick uptempo production, while the hook repeats: “Can you love, can you love, can you love a girl?” One of the standout tracks, this could easily be a single.

2. “What Is Love”
Produced by D’Mile, Written by Wynter Gordon

A version of this song leaked online earlier this year. The latest version has been mixed and hits harder with added drums. There is a “What Is Love (Part 2)” produced by Jean Baptiste that may or may not make the album.

3. “Starting Over”
Produced by Danja, Written by Wynter Gordon

Jenny from the Block describes the hardships of getting back in the game after a breakup. “I’m afraid of starting over,” she sings over Danja’s fast-paced, galloping beat, while admitting she’s “still in love” with the man she left. “It’s like my whole existence he holds in his hands.”

4. “This Cannot Be Love”
Produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins

The beginning sounds like the chords from another Darkchild joint, Brandy and Monica’s duet “The Boy Is Mine.” It quickly picks up the pace with an electro-pop beat and speedy hook (“This cannot be love, this can’t be love, this can’t be love,” she repeats). J.Lo wonders whether true love exists. “How could something that felt so right turn so wrong? … I need to know right now,” she demands. The production gets more aggressive towards the end.

5. “One Love”
Produced by D’Mile, Written by A-Plus

“Took a shot with a bad boy from the block,” she croons on the leaked track. It won’t take long for listeners to make the connection to Sean “Diddy” Combs. “Mr. Wrong, he plays his part,” she says of her former music mogul boyfriend. But J.Lo is on to the next one, in search for that one true love of a lifetime. She counts her famous lovers by the numbers, #3 being Ben Affleck (“Came and swept me off my feet/ Went nowhere, but kept the ring/ Once again I’m lonely”) and her current husband Marc Anthony (“#4, you sang to me, but I’m not sure … Made me want to try once more and I couldn’t say no.”)

6. “Keeper”
Produced by Danja, Written by Britney Bereal and Luke Boyd

After much searching, J.Lo finally finds Mr. Right. The beat is somewhat reminiscent of T.I.’s “Hell of a Life,” which Danja also produced. “You give me so much love, you keep it locked down,” she sings on the bouncy hook. “It doesn’t matter what they tell me … That boy’s a keeper.” One of our favorites. Danja contributed another track called “Love and War” that was not played.

7. “Beautiful”
Produced by Mike Caren, Written by Chris Sernel

A guitar-driven ballad that sounds like it was made for a movie. In fact, it may be used during the end credits for The Back-Up Plan. “Some days I feel beautiful, just not today,” she sings on the Ryan Tedder-esque production.

“Louboutins,” the first single helmed by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, as well as the Pitbull-assisted, Neptunes-produced buzz record “Fresh Out the Oven” will also be on the album.

–D.L.

Soldier of Love

~ Sade

Release Date: February 9, 2010

Soldier of Love is only the sixth studio album the band Sade have released during their 25 year career, and the first since Lover’s Rock in 2000. For Sade herself, as the lynchpin of the group’s songwriting effort, it’s a simple matter of integrity and authenticity. “I only make records when I feel I have something to say. I’m not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something. Sade is not a brand.”

The call went out in 2008 for the group to re-convene at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio, near Sade’s home in the countryside of south west England. It was the first time the four principals had met up since the Lover’s Rock tour wrapped in 2001. Bassist Paul Denman de-camped from Los Angeles, where he had been managing his teenage son’s punk band, Orange. Guitarist and sax player Stuart Matthewman interrupted his film soundtrack work in New York, and keyboardist Andrew Hale gave up his A&R consultancy.