She's come a long way, baby. If you read Jennifer Lopez' official biography, you'll learn that On the 6 is named after the subway train the Bronx-born actress once rode to auditions, nightclubs and dance classes. Just like one of the regular folks, we're assured, except that Lopez just knew she was going to be "somebody" from the age of 4.

Somebody who can't quite manage to keep all of her clothes on, judging from the CD booklet and video for the record's first single, "If You Had My Love." Somebody with a fabulous body that she likes to show off in a variety of poses. The former Flygirl for "In Living Color" turned movie star ("Mi Familia," "Selena," "Out of Sight") certainly doesn't lack self-confidence. She's enlisted a bevy of contributing producers here, including Emilio Estefan Jr. and the ubiquitous Sean "Puffy" Combs to massage her album into what Lopez doubtless hopes will be the beginning of a long ride to the top of the charts. Don't hold your breath, girlfriend: It takes more than a curvy derriere in a pair of skimpy panties and a sultry way with a lyric to capture the music-buying public's attention. Right?

It's sort of a rap, sort of an R & B crooner and sort of an excuse to make a video with Miss Thing getting all wet in the shower.

Well, time will tell. The good news is that On the 6 isn't a totally worthless piece of effluvium released solely to assuage a movie star's overfed ego. The bad news is that the record is as slick and forgettable as a celebrity cover story in a glossy magazine. Oh sure, Ms. Lopez has got an adequate -- if a bit thin -- voice, but her song choices are predictable and calculated. The track "If You Had My Love" (RealAudio excerpt) is a laundry list of demands to a potential lover, with the finger-wagging admonition, "I don't want you tryin' to get with me and I end up unhappy." Well, duh. It's sort of a rap, sort of an R & B crooner and sort of an excuse to make a video with Miss Thing getting all wet in the shower.

Marginally better is her duet with Latino sensation Marc Anthony, "No Me Ames" (RealAudio excerpt), which would fit right in on your local adult contemporary radio station, complete with a bit of Gipsy Kingsesque guitar here and a tasteful blast of horns there. Yawn. If there's a video made for the song "Open Off My Love" (RealAudio excerpt) it may garner an NC-17 rating, given lyrics like "I know I can make you mine, touch you in that place you like," and the doormat sensibility of "I wanna be where he wants me to be/ When he wants me, I'm gonna keep him up all night" -- talking, no doubt.

[Wed., June 23, 12:00 AM EDT]

SonicNet Rating: 1 1/2