Customer Reviews

Now #1's

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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!"

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.

this album is exactly what it reads, 1's, but isn't the Now Compilation CD's usually 1's??? so they left out a ton of great songs, and added a lot of crappy ones, if you're into music at all, you've already got most of these songs, the only reason to own, is if you collect now cds, and just want this one to add to your collection.

This CD is pretty good. I guess since it's only songs off of other NOW CD'S that if you have NOW 2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,16,17,or 19, that maybe you would just rather listen to the songs off of the those CD'S instead. I personally only recently got into the NOW collection so that's one reason I bought it. Here is a listing of the songs:

1. Nelly- Hot In Herre... I'm not a big Nelly fan, but this song is okay I guess.
2. Outcast- Hey Ya!... Okay song, but I'm so sick of it!
3. Gwen Stefani- Hollaback Girl... Again, okay song, but it's over played.
4. Destiny's Child- Survivor... Okay, but not that great, I guess you have to be a Destiny's Child fan.
5. Jennifer Lopez- Love Don't Cost A Thing... I don't really like it.
6. Janet Jackson- All For You... Don't listen to this one.
7. *NSYNC- Bye, Bye, Bye... I actually like this one even though *NSYNC is totally over.
8. Brittney Spears- ...Baby One More Time... Don't like it.
9. B2K featuring P.Diddy- Bump, Bump, Bump... Don't like rap, or whatever this band sings. I haven't actually played this.
10. Macy Gray- I Try... This is pretty good.
11. Savage Garden- I Knew I Loved You... One of favorite songs on this CD. I'm not even a slow-song liker, but this is good.
12. Ashlee Simpson- Pieces Of Me... I don't really like Ashlee Simpson, and besides, this song is overplayed and annoying.
13. Lenny Kravitz- Again... I tried to listen to this but it's not good at all, I don't even know who Lenny Kravitz is!
14. Smash Mouth- All Star... As much as this was overplayed, I still like it. A good song.
15. Nine Days- Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)... Another one of my favorite songs. Great.
16. 3 Doors Down- Kryptonite... An okay song.
17. Nickelback- How you remind me... I don't like the singers voice, but it's okay, much better than "Photograph".
18. Creed- With Arms Wide Open... I used to like this song, but I've heard it so much. You really have to be a fan.
19. Lifehouse- Hanging By A Moment... It's okay, but definetly not my favorite.
20. Hoobastank- The Reason... I don't like this song at all! Yuck!

I got the CD early and I was surprised because it plays like new. This is the first time that I ordered used CD and I'm happy because my collection of NOW CD's will almost complete. Keep up the excellent job and honesty!

When my daughter lost some of her Now CD's she was so upset so it was great to be able to order them and get them in a timely fashion. It was exaclty what we ordered in the condition that was stated. You can't ask for much more.

I was browsing on Amazon.com when I spotted a fabulous US CD titled "Now # 1's", and decided to do the honourable thing and buy it! I have played it through and it's a great CD. Starting off with Nelly's "Hot In Herre", continuing with OutKast's awesome "Hey Ya!", which I've admired and loved for a few short years now, makes this 20 track CD a real bargain buy! Add to the fact the artwork is pretty darn nifty and cool, makes buyers want to keep on buying them on the good ole USA. Want to know what else is good about "Now # 1's"? "Survivor" by Destiny's Child, "Bye Bye Bye" by *NSYNC, "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears are three more reasons to say "I think I'll buy this from Amazon.com - it's fab!". PS: when's volume two of "Now # 1's" gonna be available to buy? Make it soon, please! Awesome indeed!.

nearly none of these songs were chart toppers. Why did they put J.Lo's love dont cost a thing(NOW 6). that one only hit #1. A beeter choice would be "i'm real"(Not sure, i think now 8) it was on a now album, but its not here. Story of a girl(now 5) and again(now 6) werent number one, but they were one of the biggest rock hits on these compilations, so they are okay. Survivor(now 7) was #2, but the other hit bootlicios(now 8) was #1, so why wasnt it chosen instead? Pieces of Me was unneeded, and Janet Jacksons All for You(now 7) was not as big as Doesnt really matter(now 5) so i really dont understand the tracklist at all. some of these artists had bigger hits than this, but the wrong songs were chosen. Oh, NSYNCS Bye Bye Bye (now 6) was only #3, but Its Gonna Be Me(now 5) was #1. The songs,however, are fun, so that is why it got three stars. So i recomend this CD, but not all these songs were #1.

I thought that this was going to be called Now 21, but I guess they wanted to stop at 20 volumes. But I was surprised at the songs they selected for this album! It's like a party on the first 9 dance heavy numbers! Pairing Hot In Herre, Hey Ya!, Hollaback Girl, Survivor, and Love Don't Cost A Thing--you can beat that selection of high energy numbers right there! But the other surprise is the trio of songs by 3 Doors Down, Nickelback and Creed, three multi-platinum selling bands that made their mark with aggressive guitar rock. They've shown strong growth since those earlier records. I liked how they included Macy Gray's still wonderful I Try. Macy is still well received today for her music--she doesn't care if her albums sell well or not. Lenny Kravitz' Again is one of his better rock records. The pairing of NSYNC's cannon shooting grooves Bye Bye Bye and Britney Spears Baby One More Time demonstrate how fun pop was for a few years as each of them enjoyed huge successes in their prime. I'd have left off Ashlee Simpson's Pieces of Me--it sounds like an Incubus song. Perhaps the more artistic of the songs is Nine Days' Absolutely, which still boasts strong musicianship within its three minutes and still refreshing to hear. This album does a good job blending the commercial sheen of hits by Britney, NSYNC and J-Lo with the artistic, experimental and career making hits of Outkast, Gwen Stefani, Nine Days and others. You can't miss out on this effort--credit goes to the person that compiled these songs together!