In the first place, though it's never wincingly bad, her voice is weak. You get the feeling that Lopez is barely hanging in there while performing songs such as the single, "If You Had My Love," on which her vocal sounds worked over and by-the-numbers rather than spontaneous and assertive. Considering the strong female perspective of the lyric, Lopez' tentativeness sinks the song. She's more credible on the next track, "Should've Never," a lightweight song about forbidden love — at least until the spoken word section, where she whispers and coos in Spanish like a Puerto Rican reincarnation of Claudine Longet. It's supposed to be sexy, of course, but Latin pop is full of such overwrought moments.
Disappointing also is Puffy's track, "Feelin' So Good," which contains pointless raps by Big Punisher and Fat Joe. The session was probably a good hang, but the results just lie there. "Could This Be Love," meanwhile, is a track worthy of Gloria Estefan, but Lopez' thin voice never quite takes it to that level. Much, much better is "Let's Get Loud," on which the singer worked with Estefan's husband, Emilio, resulting in a spicy, kinetic dance track that showcases Lopez's enthusiasm as it masks her vocal shortcomings.
"Waiting for Tonight" is equally energetic, and had Lopez opted for an album full of that kind of material instead of predictable MOR goo such as "Promise Me You'll Try" and "Talk About Us," her attempt to take the music world by storm in the same way her charisma, sex appeal, and other, um, assets, have made her a movie star, then this story would have an altogether happy ending. Maybe the sequel will be better than the original.
— Daniel Durchholz (Wall Of Sound)
ith Latin pop busting out all over this year, it didn't seem unreasonable to expect good things from the debut album of Jennifer Lopez. After all, the Flygirl-turned-movie star had lined up some top-flight talent to work with, including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Rodney Jenkins, Emilio Estefan, and Marc Anthony. But producers and guest stars can only do so much, and there are problems with the material and with Lopez' own performances that make On the 6 an ultimately disappointing effort.