Jenny’s back and she’s on fire! Or should I say Mrs. Anthony? Jennifer “J.Lo” Lopez is in love, a soon to be mother, and just released her new album “Brave.” “Brave” was dropped Oct. 6th and it is a considerably different album from her most recent Spanish album, “Come Ama Una Mujar (How a Woman Loves).” “Brave” rewinds back to the young “Jenny from the Block” and includes hip hop beats, and combines it with a number of slow tempo’d, lovey dovey tracks. Her twelve track album is a mosaic of songs which express her life as a mother, her strong love for her husband, Marc Anthony, and her independence as a strong female.

“Do It Well”, which is her first single featuring rapper Ludacris, is an upbeat funky song that brings out the fierce and sassy spirit making this CD worthwhile. “Brave,” in comparison to J.Lo’s past CD’s such as her 1999 album “This is Me,” which was very mediocre, has changed things up a bit. The soft voiced J.Lo took out her gang of rappers and producers who usually compose her albums, and added a dash of class by mellowing out the beats and giving the listener a chance to solely focus on her voice along with sweet beats of the music and J.Lo’s undoubtedly joyous lyrics. “Brave” is an upbeat cheery CD that is both laid back and fun. “Brave” is definitely brave. Being 38-years old, J.Lo took a huge risk trying to reconnect with the music world being that her competition now lies with younger singers, such as the 18-year old Chris Brown, 22-year old Ciara, and pseudo stars from reality shows. Her once very large teenage fanbase may not be as easy to connect with as in recent years, but it looks like her new album may not have been a complete disaster after all.

Her song “Miles in these Shoes” has already appeared on a promo for the fourth season of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and her first single “Do It Well” has been getting plenty of air time. I give this CD a three out of five.