Jennifer Lopez Steps Back “On The Floor”

Just because J-Lo’s in the judge’s seat on the current season of American Idol doesn’t mean she’s above putting out new material for us to critique, as evidenced by her new single “On the Floor,” a RedOne-produced number most reminiscent of her turn-of-the-millennium smash “Waiting for Tonight.” The song, which features a lengthy rap intro from Pitbull, is set to premiere on fellow Idol diva Ryan Seacrest’s radio show next week. Jenny’s last few singles left clubbers standing around, waiting for a better song to come on. Will her latest get us back “On the Floor”? Listen here.

“It’s getting ill, it’s getting sick on the floor,” Lopez sings on the track — and yes, the lyrics about drinking, globe-trotting, and putting hands in the air are about as standard as they come for a dance tune (there’s even a “la la la” hook). The mixture of Latin sounds with a heavy club beat is also nothing new (in fact, the track samples Kaoma’s two-decade-old “Lambada”), but given that Lopez was one of the pioneers bringing Latina flavor to the clubs, this feels appropriate. It’s nice to see J-Lo return to form.

Jennifer Lopez – On The Floor ft. Pitbull by Guzzo

Apart from Pitbull’s introduction, there may not be enough hip hop flavor here to make a splash at the clubs — the track may be too much of a throwback to older dance hits, without bringing anything new or innovative to the party. Then again, clubbers need something to gracelessly bob their heads and raise their glasses to after last call, amidst multicolored lights. And in that moment, a generic dance beat and “la la la” chorus will do just fine.

Our verdict: we’re pretty happy with the latest from Lopez. But what we really want to know is, what do Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson think?