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J to tha L-O!: The Remixes [CLEAN]

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Less than three years into her music career, Jennifer Lopez released her first compilation album, J to tha L-O!: The Remixes. The eleven track discs packs ten alternate versions of songs from her first two albums, as well as the previously unreleased 'Alive,' a song from the movie Enough. While it is technically a remix collection, many of the versions included here are the more familiar ones, making J to tha L-O! play more like a greatest hits compilation than a remix album. A few of the songs here are completely masqueraded into a full out club mix, but most of these are minor singles compared to the others.

The disc opens with the RJ Schoolyard Mix of 'Love Don't Cost a Thing' featuring Fat Joe. Remixed by one of the original version's two producers, the song is giving a bit more upbeat hip-hop feel, but still maintains a lot of the elements of the original. You might recognize this mix from the dance break of the music video. A pleasant mix, although sometimes I wonder if a causal listener heard this version on the radio if they would notice that it was a remix, even if they were kind of familiar with the original. We are then taken to the Murder Remix of 'Ain't It Funny.' The 'remix' is actually a completely different song that has nothing in common with the original, minus the title. While the original version failed to chart in the US, the remix (it charted separately from the original because they were so different) is arguably one of her biggest hits, spending multiple weeks at #1 on the Hot 100. This version has the same feel as most Murder Inc. songs at the time, especially Ashanti who, ironically sings the chorus here, but is not credited. Next, we get remixes of 'I'm Gonna Be Alright' (by Track Masters) and 'I'm Real' (another Murder 'remix'), which were also the single versions used. The one for 'Alright' gives the song an updated hip-hop beat that is far superior to the original, while the one for 'Real' is another completely new song falsely labeled as a remix, and has the same Murder Inc. vibe. It also was a big hit, spend multiple weeks at number one as well.

After four extremely familiar tracks, the listener is taken into the Metro Mix of 'Walking on Sunshine,' which, in it's original form, is one of the better non-singles off the 'J.Lo' album. This remix is club ready, clocking in just under six minutes and having a light house feel, with some Latin guitars mixed into certain parts for good measure. The following mix of Jlo's first single 'If You Had My Love' is another mix that was remixed by the songs original producer. For the remix, Darkchild gives it a more upbeat hip-hop feel.

The next three mixes aren't that great, you get the Bad Boy Remix of 'Feelin' So Good,' a dance remix of 'Let's Get Loud' that is credited to different remixers on different editions of the album, despite being the same mix, and the Sack International Mix of 'Play.' The latter is alright, lacks the energy that made the original so great. After these mixes, we reach the true highlights of the disc. First up is the Hex Hector Remix (in radio edit form) for Jlo's best song to date, 'Waiting For Tonight.' Hex takes the already high energy dance number and adds all the right elements to make it the hottest dance song on the planet. This really goes as possibly my favorite remix in existence. The full 11-minute mix, not included here, is pure euphoria. The disc closer is 'Alive.' It's a beautiful closing number that could very well make you emotional. Please note, there are two versions of this song released, the soundtrack version which features primarily piano, and a pop mix which features guitar and a drum beat and is featured in the video. The former is the one included here.