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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Solid Collection of Hits, April 6, 2006
I've always written how the American NOW compilations do not even come close to the British ones, and my opinion has not since changed. NOW 20's track list, however, is solid and pretty good for the American series. It has mostly good rap songs (which can be sometimes rare in this series), great rock songs, and not an overload of mediocrities. I'll go in depth.
1. Missy Elliott Feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop - Lose Control...A
A great rap song - Missy Elliott has a great style and her lyrics are actually understandable and enjoyable. Ciara is a nice addition to the song. Fatman Scoop's random screaming in the background wasn't essential, but it at least adds some energy to the track. The music's actually interesting and something different from everything else.
2. Black Eyed Peas - Don't Phunk With My Heart...C+
Their first album was stellar, and their second is as well. But this was one of the worst tracks on "Monkey Business" and did not deserve to become a single. Annoying, but not horrible.
3. Pussycat Dolls Feat. Busta Rhymes - Don't Cha...A-
A really good rap song - Busta's rapping is a good addition to the song, making this radio remix better than the original on the Pussycat Dolls' album, "PCD". A dangerously catchy chorus elevates this song to a pretty high grade.
4. Rihanna - Pon de Replay...B+
Pretty catchy, and a good party song. But it gets pretty irritating after a while. And the "dip it low and you pick it up slow" from the first verse directly copies from Christina Milian's "Dip it Low". That's so unoriginal, Rihanna!
5. Ludacris Feat. Bobby Valentino - Pimpin' All Over the World...B
Good music, but it's not much without the video, which was, by the way, partly shot in Africa.
6. Bow Wow Feat. Ciara - Like You...B
Bow Wow's returning to the rap scene was really unneeded, but Ciara's chorus makes this song better than mediocre.
7. Dem Franchize Boys Feat. Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat & Bow Wow - I Think They Like Me (Remix)...C
This song does not deserve the publicity, and I'm stunned why people like this. It's worse than mediocre, it's horribly irritating. And much of the song is bleeped out because the original is so dirty. Rap just isn't rap when it's edited, and this song is proof. But even without the editing I don't think this song has a chance. Annoying "yep"s in the background and mediocre rapping...just skip it already.
8. Destiny's Child - Cater 2u...B-
Mediocre for Destiny's Child. Actually pretty boring. But they have great voices.
9. Lyfe Jennings - Must Be Nice...C+
Mediocre.
10. Natasha Bedingfield - These Words...A
A great "new" artist who actually found success with this song a year earlier the US. Great songwriting about bad songwriting (if that makes any sense at all) and a good voice. Now I'm just wondering when her brother Daniel's going to release another "If You're Not the One".
11. Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes...A-
The only American Idol who earned over twenty minutes of success, Kelly's finding massive success with her second album, and for a reason - she's got an awesome voice, and pulls off rock quite well. This song was brutally murdered by the radio, but that's why I've moved onto the remixes (not on this album).
12. D.H.T. - Listen to Your Heart (Unplugged Version)...A
Though Furios F.EZ's hard trance remix of this song is a lot better than this unplugged piano version, this amazing cover of the Roxette track deserved all the fame it got. Edmee's got a fantastic voice and this is a perfect song for her. Beautiful song also.
13. Backstreet Boys - Just Want You To Know...A-
The Backstreet Boys' newest album must have been the #1 most unwanted comeback of all time (let's just hope N*Sync doesn't follow...*cringe* Justin Timberlake), but this is their best song. And this comes from someone hard to impress by the Backstreet Boys, but they pull off this rock song pretty well.
14. Click 5 - Just the Girl...A
A really good rock song which many can relate to.
15. Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To...B
Atonal, but Franz Ferdinand has a good reputation, so I'll let it slide. But this is definitely evidence of a sophomore slump.
16. Weezer - Beverly Hills...A+
Unfortunately it was flattened, torn apart, and buried alive by the radios, so I will review it as it was still last summer when I first heard it. This song is amazing and the chorus is way too catchy to believe. But I don't need to write this, as most people already know.
17. Fall Out Boy - Sugar We're Going Down...A
An amazing song, but it's only good if you can put up with songs where you can't understand what they're saying. Seriously, it took approximately six times looking up the lyrics to actually realize what's being said here. But the music is great, and this song overall is a pretty good rock track.
18. Lifehouse - You & Me...A-
An instant classic.
19. Coldplay - Fix You...A+
I've read mixed reviews about this song, but personally, I think its amazing. Following a vaguely similar buildup as Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", this song just keeps you listening until the end. The rockout part at the end is magical.
20. Keith Urban - You'll Think of Me...B
It's somewhat annoying that Keith's been on NOW albums consistently for a while but his songs aren't as popular as, say, Gretchen Wilson. I'm starting to think Keith's been put on these albums not for popular songs but just so a default country artist could be there. A good song, but it could've been replaced with something better in the Country department.
So overall, this is a great selection of songs, some amazing, some decent, and some mediocre to bad. I'd suggest you buy this, as it's a good list of tracks.
Overall, this album gets a B+.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just need to say something,
After reading some of the reviews on these NOW cds, I had to put my two cents in. I do own and like all the NOW cds. NOW does put some good song on their cds, but there is some songs I don't care for. I could not believe some of these people saying that they don't like some of these songs that I do, but everyone is different and entitled to their own opinion. I don't believe all the songs are chart toppers like they say they are. I think some of the songs on the cds are on there just to make the cd sound better. If you listen to each one, they each have their own different sound if you listen to it more closely. When I bought the first NOW cd, I did not think it would up to NOW 21. I will continue to buy these NOW cds as long they keep making them. Sometimes I can tell if a certain song might make it on the next NOW cd like SOS-Rihanna, Check it Out-Beyonce, Pump it!-Black Eyed Peas. So I have to say is keep making these cds. You're just not going to please everyone with the songs you put on them.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not The Biggest Hit Seeker But Some Good Tunes, November 2, 2005
The twentieth edition of Now That's What I Call Music proves that they can still do it. While this edition is clearly too full on rap, it is by far not the worst in the series.
The rap collection features favorites from the summer and fall's biggest hits, with Missy Elliott providing a rap and dance twist on "Lose Control", a rap-funk song by the Black Eyed Peas, and a guilty pleasure from The Pussycat Dolls. Ludacris's "Pimpin' All Over The World"'s production saves the song through the subject manner isn't the most appealing. The CD also features a new song from Dem Franchise Boyz. The rap may be overloading at first but it's definitely a pleasure nonetheless.
The R&B section features new artist Rihanna with "Pon De Replay" and holding the title of "song of the summer", Destiny's Child's "Cater 2 U", a nice Lyfe Jennings tune, and a funky and fresh pop-R&B song from Natasha Bedingfield. The R&B songs are all excellent choices though "Must Be Nice" was less played on Top 40 radio.
The pop section of the disc includes new artist (on a NOW) Kelly Clarkson with "Behind These Hazel Eyes", and new pop-rock sensation, The Click Five. D.H.T.'s "Listen To Your Heart" is on the disc but the dance mix was more perfered. The Backstreet Boys are a guilty pleasure however they don't put talent in their work. All of these songs were pretty big, The Backstreet Boys one being the worst on the charts.
The rock section includes rock favorite Weezer, Fall Out Boy's addictive "Sugar We're Going Down", and Lifehouse's "You & Me". The rest of the CD pretty much holds on it's own, however, the Coldplay song may make some pop fans fall asleep.
This edition doesn't have the biggest hits, however, most of the songs hold on it's own. While it doesn't get the best grade, it's still work looking at. 3 stars.
Replay Value: Medium
Child Appeal: Medium
Teen Appeal: High
Adult Appeal: Low
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