Now, Vol. 15

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Whereas previous installments of the Now That's What I Call Music series attempted to recap the previous six months of the American pop charts, the 15th volume is a snapshot of the current pop scene as of March 23, 2004, containing several singles that were still climbing the charts, or at least still gaining significant radio play. More than ever, the series' attempt at diversity doesn't sit well together, partially because the different styles are grouped together -- the record starts with a pair of pop tunes before delving into hardcore rap, which leads to a stretch of dance and urban before swinging toward adult pop, which is abruptly interrupted with a batch of hard rock before it all wraps up with a Five for Fighting song that hardly burned up the charts. None of this segues well together, which only points out that this is by far one of the weaker collections in the NOW series. There's a handful of good singles scattered throughout the record -- No Doubt's "It's My Life" is a fine new wave cover, Sheryl Crow's "The First Cut Is the Deepest" is fine, Norah Jones' "Sunrise" is pleasant, Sarah Connor's "Bounce" is infectious, and Britney Spears' "Toxic" is deliriously catchy, one of her best singles -- but most of this is generic at best and at worst, as on Nick Cannon's awful "Gigolo," supremely irritating. As always, the NOW series is good at capturing one moment in time, but based on this collection, it'd be better to forget the first few months of this year. As Ruben Studdard would say, "Sorry 2004"! ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine A quick look through the track listing of NOW 15 confirms that this volume is well in line with the mission statement of this long-running series--to cherry-pick a wide range of pop hits from the last few months before the disc's release. This time around, that big-tent philosophy opens the door to fans of bubblegum diva Britney Spears ("Toxic"), reality-TV spouses Jessica Simpson ("With You") and Nick Lachey ("This I Swear"), and lollipop punks Blink 182 ("Feelin' It") and Good Charlotte ("Hold On"). Hip-hop fans get their due with cuts by Ludacris ("Stand Up"), Chingy ("Holidae In"), and Westside Connection ("Gangsta Nation"). The recently retired Jay-Z ("Change Clothes") makes a bow, and Beyonce checks in with her uber-catchy "Me, Myself and I." Hit cover songs also make for an interesting twist, with No Doubt taking on Talk Talk ("It's My Life") and Sheryl Crow interpreting Cat Stevens ("The First Cut Is the Deepest"). Of course NOW 15 wouldn't be complete without Norah Jones ("Sunrise"), the critical and commercial juggernaut of 2004.

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