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A Terrific (If Incomplete) Summary

GMac | Anywhere, USA | 02/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The American "NOW That's What I Call Music!" series has been around for a little over seven years; with "Vol. 21" coming out in March. While always looking at music's fture, it's good to know where you came from as well; which is presicley what this 20 track collection does. It scans over the first 20 "NOW"s, and gathers 20 of the #1 hits which those albums had included. Ranging from Winter 1998/9 (Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time") through Spring 2005 (Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl"); this disc offers a very solid, and very incomplete, look at some of the biggest singles during that time span. To be honest, only 18 of them were #1s (on the Billboard Hot 100 and/or ARC Top 40); Lenny Kravitz' "Again" and Nine Days' "Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)" being just Top 10 hits. The retro breakdown of this track listing. (The Year's are included in brackets):

(1) Nelly "Hot In Herre" A. The level that this song works to is exceptional, considering its simplistic content. But Nelly's trademarked "southern flavor" turns it into a must hear summer dance/rap song. Alot of the song's sucess depends on weather or not Nelly is charismatic; and he is. Just like "Ride Wit Me", this is completely enjoyable in every way. [2002]

(2) OutKast "Hey Ya!" B-. Sure, it's entertaining and catchy with a great production, but there's not much beneath the surface. The group is as funky and manic as ever, but yet something just doesn't gel the way it did with "The Way You Move"; the 2nd single off "Speakerboxx/The Love Below". Still, I am left with admiration for what the DO accomplish. [2003/4]

(3) Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Girl" B-. Though not as energenic as "What You Waiting For?" and "Rich Girl"; there is still much to praise here. At the very least the song tries to be different: you have never heard anything quite like these lyricvs or marching band beat. Gwen has made this song with much love and conviction. As weird as it is, the song is able to stand out from the pop crowd. [2005]

(4) Destiny's Child "Survivor" A-. It may have been overplayed, but it still remains a great modern R&B track. Most distinguishing is that the song is about joyfully moving on. Listener's respond to the song because it offers a positive attitude. It also helps that the beat is terribly addictive. [2001]

(5) Jennifer Lopez "Love Don't Cost A Thing" B. She has done much better; just like "Jenny From The Block", you can't take this too seriously. That aside, this is a fun dance/pop tune with a great production and flow to it. The pace is essential to the song, as it never feels dragged out and is always moving. A minor J. Lo offering, yet fun none-the-less. [2001]

(6) Janet Jackson "All For You" A-. Shows what a dance song is supposed to be, and showcases some of Janet's best work. There isn't too much substance, yet the beat a production are so infectious that you get caught up in it. Janet's vioce sounds as smooth as ever, and adds a nice sexy undertone. [2001]

(7) *N Sync "Bye Bye Bye" A. It's easy to dismiss this as a meaningless pop song; but hey, those songs are often very fun. By keeping a short time length, this manages to be a catchy, refreshing and highly entertaining piece of work. It may not be too much; yet it is total success at what it wants to be. [2000]

(8) Britney Spears "...Baby One More Time" C-. The song is very catchy with a sexual tone in it's slick production, yet there's really nothing left beneath the sugar. Sounds great at first; then we realize how little the song really. Still, it was a VERY big #1 hit, so I guess it deserves a place on the album. [1999]

(9) B2K and P. Diddy "Bump, Bump, Bump" B+. The artists combined with R. Kelly's writing and production make this a highly enjoyable urban dance tune that is just plain fun. "Uh Huh" will always be their masterpiece, but this is a very welcome addition. I don't think it's possible to work with both P. Diddy AND R. Kelly and get a bad song. [2002/3]

(10) Macy Gray "I Try" B-. This is a beautifully written song with heartfelt lyrics, made unsuccessful by one factor: Macy's voice. Her voice is very weak and not very appealing, thus she detracts from the impact of her work. This song would be much better if someone else sung it; prehaps Jill Scott or India.Arie. [2000]

(11) Savage Garden "I Knew I Loved You" C. A well made song that just plays it safe, and never does anything new or exciting. The vocals are decent (beats are almost none-existent), but there is no real depth in them. In the end, the song lacks the impact that could have had from a better group (i.e. 98°, Backstreet Boys). [1999/2000]

(12) Ashlee Simpson "Pieces Of Me" B. Not as good as I hpoed, but better than I expected. Ashlee has some meaningful lyrics sung with a heartfelt voice, but the song isn't as engrossing as it should be. She may not be quite at her prime level, but definetly has great talent within. And to be honest, she later showed that talent with her "I Am Me" LP (2005). [2004]

(13) Lenny Kravitz "Again" A-. A bounce-back after the prevoius track. This is Lenny at his finest: tight guitar rifts, meaningful vocals and true conviction. All the elements combine to create a beautiful, heartfelt male rock vocal performance. This is a terrific rock song and a highlight for Kravitz' long career. [2000]

(14) Smash Mouth "All Star" A-. In only a short amount of time, this song has work it's way into a piece of "pop culture". It's always on radio, in dozens of movies and eveyone knows it. That's because the group made a catchy, lively and highly enjoyable song. It may not be about anything, but the song is a total joy to hear. [1999]

(15) Nine Days "Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)" B+. Not a great rock song by any means, yet one that is very enjoyable and made with alot of skill. Although the material is nothing new; the group brings some style and energy to the song. It's good enough to make you wonder why they disappeared right after. [2000]

(16) 3 Doors Down "Kryptonite" A. Such a promising debut single, that you wonder why they couldn't "keep up the pace". The production is very memorable, and the lyrics are original and differnt. The content is standard, but they give new life through their writing and style. It wasn't until 2005's "Let Me Go" that came close to equaling it. [2000]

(17) Nickelback "How You Remind Me" A. This is about as close as you can get to a perfect rock song. It has all the things you expect from a rock song, yet Chad Kroger's voice and the piercing lyrics add more weight and dimension to it. After this great single; there was no way that Nickelback could still be ignored. [2001/2]

(18) Creed "With Arms Wide Open" A. A beautiful rock song with deeply touching lyrics. Lead singer Scott Stapp has taken the joy of his child's birth and transformed it into a wonderful, meaningful rock track with alot of depth. It's no surprise this won the Grammy for Best Rock Song (2000); everything about the writing is original. A masterpiece of a rock song. [2000]

(19) Lifehouse "Hanging By A Moment" A-. They never quite equaled it afterwards, but this is a terrific rock song. It's intelligent, catchy and heartfelt. Falls into the same league as the best work by the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty. In fact, it did go on to become Billboard's #1 song of 2001. [2001]

(20) Hoobastank "The Reason" A. The most hard hitting rock track of the year and Hoobastank's best ever. Yes the gruop had good travks fefore with "Crawling In The Dark" and "Running Away", but this time they out do themselves, with raw, honest emotion. I'm captivated by every second of this wonderful, heartfelt song. [2004]

Bottom Line: ****. Even if some of the tracks are not on par with the best; this is still a great compilation because of the fact that the album functions perfectly as time capsule for early 21st century music. I hope that they release a "NOW #1s Vol. 2"; because there were so many moe great #1s during the time period; including U2's "Beautiful Day", 'N Sync's "It's Gonna Be Me", Ja Rule & Ashanti's "Always On Time", Usher's "U Got It Bad", Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair", Ciara & Petey Pablo's "Goodies", Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles", Destiny's Child's "Independent Women Part I", No Doubt's "Underneath It All", Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body", Beyonce & Jay-Z's "Crazy In Love" and Jessica Simpson's "With You". Still, for anyone who wants to get a fantastic, quick snap of music in the early 2000s; look no further.





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It's a COMPILATION of COMPILATIONS! WHO CARES?!?!

GMac | 03/02/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The corporate fatcats behind NOW are just getting greedy. Gimme a break: a COMPILATION of songs that were previously featured on earlier COMPILATIONS? Sing along with me: "Money money money mo-ney, da da da da da, mo-ney!""

OK if you need some of these songs :-l

Little Miss Cutey | Melbourne, Australia | 02/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The main reason I love this, is because there are some good songs all on the one cd, and a fair few of them I didn't buy yet, because I don't think I really love the artists, but one individual song of theirs is OK. For example, Hanging By A Moment. I don't know why I never bought it as a single, but here it is along with other great songs I don't own (Again by Lenny Kravitz). Other than that, there are too many other songs, that got so much airplay, you don't want to hear them again ever. I personally found this mix good for me, but make up your own mind. I do have to say it is a good variety."