This Is Me...Then

Lopez insists that she is still the same down-to-earth girl that emerged from the Bronx a decade before mega-stardom hit: "I used to have a little / now I have a lot," she chirps, before cautioning: "Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got / I'm still Jenny from the block." Such a claim stretches credulity given her well-documented status as a true diva, but "Jenny from the Block" shows more pizzazz and humour than anything else on the album, with the exception of her saucy duet with LL Cool J on "All I Have."

Elsewhere This Is Me…Then serves up a recycled paean to 1970s soul, an anaemic cover of Carly Simon's "You Belong to Me" and cloying ballads inspired by Lopez's new inamorato, actor Ben Affleck. Lopez dedicated the disc--for which she wrote nine songs--to Affleck and she includes a far-too-personal and gooey love song to him titled "Dear Ben". Here she declares: "You'll always be my lust, my love, my man, my child, my friend and my king." There's plenty of love here, but what's missing is the verve and crackle of Lopez's earlier stuff. --Jaan Uhelszki

My favourites tracks are 'Still,' 'Loving You,' 'I'm Glad,' 'The One,' (both versions) 'Dear Ben,' 'All I Have,' 'Jenny From The Block,' 'You Belong To Me,' 'Baby I Luv U!,' & 'I'm Gonna Be Alright' (Trackmasters Remix). So I have alot of favourites! LOL 11 of the 13 songs are my favourite!

Great album!


Cool   January 15, 2004
Izzie (United Kingdom)
THis album is absolutely great. It has a good mix of slow and fast songs with a few dance tracks as well. I have listened to it so many times it is excellent buy it now or regret it later!


What are they talking about?!?   April 16, 2003
I was sceptical whether or not to purchase this item. Like the ardent fan I am I bought it relentlessly. When I put it inot my CD player I was surprised,as it was EXCELLENT! It is as good, if not better than the other 3 albums, it preceeds. JLO is undoubtly the queen of her profession. She may be famous about her famous hot body, her sexy looks, but noone can deny that her music, like the rest of her is sensational. BUY IT NOW! You wont regret it!


Something Special   December 22, 2002
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

This album comes from a woman obviously at peace with herself and besotted with a special someone... This is reflected in the the meaningful, lush sound of many of the slower ballads. "This is me...then" offers a slower, warmer and more human slant to RnB, manifested in several standout tracks... 'Loving you' is one of the most upbeat song (bar Jenny from the block) and offers a similar flute part to JFTB. 'I'm Glad', 'The one' and 'Dear Ben' are all strong slower offerings, however the best in romance has to be 'Again'...this song is phenominally emotional and beautiful. Going back to a more upbeat sound is 'All I have (feat LL Cool J) which has a defininte 70s influence mixed with the modern Rnb beats, making it my personal favourite on the album. Another 70s influenced track is 9. 'You belong to me', which is perhaps the weakest, but still good. I found the remix bonus track of 'The One' very catchy, following in the guise of Pop Rnb, and it distinctly sounds very much like Nelly and Kelly! In conclusion this album shows a much more maturer J-Lo, focusing on a more warmer and slower sound through love ballads and more soulful Rnb. If you only liked J-lo for her collaborations with Ja Rule then you may not appreciate the maturity of this album. But on the contrary I only bought this album because I wanted to shop and spend money and I have ended up loving it! Give it a go!