Rating: 3/5 stars

Valentine’s Day was a very fitting date for the release of Jennifer Lopez’s love letter, her latest album, “This Is Me…Now,” a sequel to her 2002 album “This Is Me…Then.” The album centers around her rekindled relationship with actor Ben Affleck, whom she dated from 2002–2004 before getting back together in 2021 and marrying in July 2022. 

While the album is not J.Lo’s best work, she makes a strong statement throughout it about the level of confidence and support she got since getting back together with Affleck in the album’s title song, “This Is Me…Now.” However, the album wanes between strong pieces like “Can’t Get Enough,” reminiscent of her earlier hip hop and R&B hits from the early 2000s, and lyrically-flimsy songs like “Hummingbird.” Although it has a nice message about the mutual support in Lopez and Affleck’s relationship, the verses are short and the chorus repeats with hardly any bridges or variation. 

Also included in the song are clips of hummingbirds and other bird calls that progressively triumph over the lyrics, taking away any sort of charm that may have remained. Some of the highlights of the album other than “Can’t Get Enough” include: “Rebound,” “Greatest Love Story Never Told” and “Dear Ben Part II.” The latter of the three songs is a sequel to “Dear Ben” from “This Is Me…Then.” “Part II’” is a sweet and more mature reflection on the couple’s relationship as J.Lo expresses the emotional connection they have: “You showed me what it is/You showed me what I need/I was missing a part/You was the missing piece/And we see eye to eye/And we don’t gotta speak,” as opposed to their physical relationship showcased in the original. “Dear Ben Part II” is centered around masterful guitar picking, beginning as true to her roots, but eventually includes a computerized bass beat slipped behind as backing for the guitar that adds a very modern yet unnecessary element to the song. Keeping the song’s initial instrumentation would have given it—and the album as a whole—a much-needed grounding with an extra layer of authenticity to emphasize the love between Lopez and Affleck, and it would act as more of an homage to the original album. 

The album ends with “Greatest Love Story Never Told,” a sweet overview of the relationship as a whole. Lopez focuses on how their love for one another has quietly remained for over two decades and how she feels as though, as she sings, “it’s destiny how [they] found each other twice in one lifetime” and developed separate lives after parting ways in 2004, but still found their way back to each other. “Greatest Love Story Never Told” brings the album to a wholesome and romantic close with a catchy chorus and steady beat that is easy to jive with. Despite following a similar instrumental composition as “Dear Ben Part II,” the final song feels to be the perfect balance between JLo’s early hits and elements more favored in current music. 

Overall, “This Is Me…Now,” is a good album with a few songs good enough to be singles. However, there are too many “B-sides” to make it completely worth the listen unless you are a hardcore fan of Lopez. The pacing of the album is static. There is little variation in the types of songs featured both lyrically and instrumentally, making it boring to listen to all the way through. Despite this, Lopez’s intentions behind the album are honorable.

Image from People via YouTube