Brave (CD - 2007)

Personnel: Ryan Tedder (various instruments, programming); Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis, Jonathan "JR" Rotem (various instruments); Josh McDonnell (guitars); Cito (keyboards); Candice Nelson, Michelle Bell, Keri Hilson (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Ludacris.

COMO AMA UNA MUJER, Jennifer Lopez's first all Spanish-language album, dropped to lukewarm reviews and the general sense that J. Lo was searching for a new direction and a new audience. Fans disappointed with that release will be happy to hear that 2007's BRAVE is a return to form. A glamorous, fizzy blast, BRAVE mines the feel-good dance-pop Lopez is known for, and there is no shortage of candy-coated hooks and uptempo grooves on offer.

Critics might complain that BRAVE is too much a return to form, and that Lopez doesn't venture anything new, preferring instead to retread the formulas that have made her previous efforts so successful. But since Lopez built her following on the strength of dance-pop classics such as 1999's ON THE SIX, it's understandable when cuts like the sleek, radio-ready title track, and the bouncy club jam "Hold It Don't Drop It" push familiar buttons. A host of top-flight producers make BRAVE sound great, and while Lopez may not be blazing any new trails, she stays steady and true on the one she knows best. minimize