‘Rebirth’ at its best when
J. Lo keeps it on dance floor

SOUND BITES: Audio reviews

updated 12:24 p.m. ET March 2, 2005

Jennifer Lopez wisely keeps her love life out of the spotlight on her aptly titled fourth disc, “Rebirth," and Rob Halford slips back into his old job as lead singer of Judas Priest as seamlessly as a fist in a black leather glove on “Angel of Retribution”.

“Rebirth,” Jennifer Lopez
After fawning over former fiance Ben Affleck on 2002’s “This is Me ...Then,” Jennifer Lopez wisely keeps her love life out of the spotlight on her aptly titled fourth disc, “Rebirth.” She only alludes to her secretive marriage to salsa king Marc Anthony on a few tracks, most prominently the breezy, Rodney Jerkins’ penned-and-produced “I Got U,” where she coos: “Sometimes real love can be not seen ’cause you’re thinking what’s right in front of you can’t be the one for you.”

But like Madonna and Janet, people don’t listen to J.Lo for the poignant lyrics — she’s best when riding a dance groove as on the James Brown-sampled single “Get Right” and the funky club thumper “Whatever You Wanna Do,” both courtesy of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” scribe Rich Harrison. Instead of sustaining the frenetic pace of those songs, however, most of the disc features understated yet polished mid-tempo tracks such as the bubbly “I, Love.”

The disc’s one misstep is the woefully overdone ballad “(Can’t Believe) This is Me,” which Lopez penned with Anthony. It sounds like the sequel to the ’80s hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” And despite her efforts to keep the mood lighthearted, there’s a hint of lingering heartache in her strained vocals on Timbaland’s flute-looped “He’ll Be Back,” where J. Lo pines: “I know better than anybody how it feels to want somebody so bad after you breakup.”

Overall, “Rebirth” is a satisfying listen, but fans who like their Jenny from the block hot and spicy will be slightly disappointed by the disc’s milder dance-pop flavor.
— Tracy Hopkins

“In Between Dreams,” Jack Johnson
It’s hard to see evolution in Jack Johnson, that 29-year-old Hawaiian surfer turned musician. But it’s there in the undercurrents of his third album, “In Between Dreams” — an honest maturity from an otherwise suave island hipster.

His songs are still a mix of lazy day laments fueled by sensibilities from a Pacific paradise. Like the albums before it, Johnson’ funky rhythms on an acoustic guitar accompany lyrics that flow with mix-master timing — it’s G.Love’s groove with Ben Harper’s soul.

But songs such as “Banana Pancakes” and “Better Together” speak of affairs with an un-rushed appreciation for the moment. His voice rarely rises about a melodic whisper when he sings about a girl, always that girl, and a summertime romance that dies when another day begins.

The standout exception is “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing.”

A soulful groove with a heavy base line, Johnson bemoans the games of waiting for a woman to see the signs of his interest. (Must be typical for island boys chasing those vacation girls with so much to do.)

Like the Beach Boys and California surf culture, Johnson’s knack lies in his ability to harness Hawaii, a culture far away from the melee of the mainland, and make it appealing to those who know nothing of it.

In fact, Johnson is arguably a side-shot from his surf rock predecessors. But his music is nothing like those bands whose fascination with an untamable surf made for wild guitar solos.

Johnson’s schtick is quite different: he makes being mellow cool once again.
— Ryan Lenz

“Angel Of Retribution,” Judas Priest
Rob Halford slips back into his old job as lead singer of Judas Priest as seamlessly as a fist in a black leather glove. In their first album since Halford rejoined the legendary British quintet, Judas Priest seems primed to reclaim their perch as the most dominant band in heavy metal (not that there’s much competition nowadays). Tracks like the powerful opening opus “Judas Rising” and the fist-pumping “Deal With The Devil” show everyone how the big boys do it, showcasing Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing’s blistering twin guitar attack to great effect.

The thumping, bottom-heavy “Revolution” stands a decent chance of catching on as a radio hit along the lines of ’80s anthems like “Love Bites” and “Turbo Lover,” while “Worth Fighting For” showcases a musical versatility and melodic side that blends perfectly with Priest’s hell-bent-for-leather muscularity.

Halford’s return from nearly a decade of self-imposed solo exile seems to have re-energized the band, and while “Angel of Retribution” doesn’t match the band’s 1982 high water mark “Screaming For Vengeance,” it’s still better than 90 percent of the other drek out there passing itself off as heavy metal. Welcome back, Rob; we missed ya!
— Wayne Parry

“Brave,” Jamie O’Neal
Jamie O’Neal’s massive 2000 country hit “There Is No Arizona” had a relaxed, country/hip-hop groove that worked well with her megawatt alto and the song’s subject matter of lost love. The result was catchy and a little dark.

Unfortunately, her latest recording, “Brave,” is relentlessly upbeat and has no such conflicted moments. O’Neal had a baby a little over a year ago, so it’s understandable that four of her record’s eleven tracks would touch on the joys of motherhood. On “Brave,” though, even songs about heartbreak (“When Did You Know?”), incurable disease (“Ready When it Comes”) and exotic dancers (“Devil on the Left”) are ultimately cheery and redemptive. The latter song, for example, resembles Bobbie Gentry’s classic “Fancy,” but its feel-good ending lacks the grit of Gentry’s original.

O’Neal may have a remarkable voice and her recording is Nashville state-of-the-art, but “Brave” doesn’t have the courage to address life — and motherhood — as it is: complex and, often, quite difficult.
— Paul V. Griffith

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