Jennifer Lopez’s “Dance Again”: Review Revue

Robbie Daw | April 3, 2012 9:31 am

Last year American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez had a major comeback by urging us to get on the floor. Now she wants to “Dance Again”. Critics are divided on J.Lo’s latest, which once again finds her teaming up with rapper Pitbull and producer RedOne. Some say the tune is a bit too reductive. (For the record, we noted that the song “is a far superior and much more euphoric dance-pop offering than ‘On The Floor’.”)  Head below for a roundup of opinions on Lopez’s just-released single from across the Internet. :: HitFix is tapping a toe over J.Lo and Pitbull’s latest: “The song isn’t as interesting musically as the pair’s previous hit collaboration, “On the Floor” but it is more consistent in its commitment to being a full-on dance twirler — it percolates in a pleasing pop way, as opposed to throbs.”

:: Entertainment Weekly‘s Music Mix is feeling the groove: “The chorus to ‘Dance Again’ is as pure a piece of effervescent pop as Lopez has ever been a part of, and while it probably isn’t the sort of thing meant to be listened to on headphones in a cubicle, it should play pretty well in places where grinding is encouraged (like clubs in Ibiza, and middle school dances).”

:: Diva Devotee, on the other hand, has some tough words for all involved: “I am not even going to call this a review, because Jennifer Lopez’s new single, “Dance Again”, is so AWFUL it doesn’t merit my time analysing it… @RedOne, take a break or retire, you chose, because you have been riding this euro-pop sound too long, too hard and it’s not getting any better. You got lucky with Gaga, face it, and instead of churning this tripe out, you should try improving on your craft and creating a sustainable, variable, sound.”

:: Says The Huffington Post, “A quick electro beat and rapid clapping pushes the momentum of the song from the start as Pitbull launches into a brief introduction. The beat shifts from upbeat pings and claps to a bass backdrop as Lopez takes over the vocals… The quick electro beat returns, revving up the energy before the chorus: “I wanna dance and love and dance again.” That’s the line that will surely get stuck in your head.”

:: The Prophet Blog is on the floor: “I didn’t like the snippets, but I think that I am very much liking this in all of its reductive glory.”

:: The Complex Media Blog offers this assessment: “The beat is amazing, and Jennifer (don’t forget that I never call her J. Lo…on purpose) sounds good over the electro/synthpop beat. I also love the chemistry she has with Pitbull. Artists collaborate all of the time, but sometimes there’s no chemistry between them.”

:: Bark + Bite lists out the strengths (“Dance-pop is J.Lo’s strong suit”) and weaknesses (“The song would’ve worked better as Pitbull track featuring J.Lo”) of Lopez’s new jam: “…’Dance Again’ sounds like any euro-pop dance floor filler that could’ve come from the 2000s. Did Kylie Minogue toss this one out for J.Lo to scavenge through and dust off?”

:: Popdust chimes in with this: “Pitbull, for his part, starts subdued-for-him then gets lovably louche in typical form ‘a little bit of Voli and she’ll open sesame,’ which probably means Pitbull will try to sell the world sesame-infused vodka soon. Everyone involved has done better, but still: diminishing returns can still kill it on the floor.”

What are your own thoughts on Jennifer’s new single? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!