Search - Various Artists :: Now That's What I Call Music V.61

One of the Best NOW Albums in the Series

Nowfan35 | NYC | 08/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recieved this album halfway through the summmer. My friends and I listened to basically every song on the album, enjoying and singing along to the majority of them. The previous NOW albums (only the recent ones) have sort of gone down a bit in song selection quality, but NOW 61 has revived my faith in this ongoing compilation series. Let's go through each track:



CD ONE

1. James Blunt - "You're Beautiful" (3:24) B

Things start off somewhat slow, but not necessarily bad. James Blunt has a nice voice. A very nice song to start things off.

2. 2pac Feat. Elton John - "Ghetto Gospel" (4:01) A

An unbeatable combination of singers plus an addictive chorus and actually good rapping equals one killer song.

3. Coldplay - "Speed of Sound" (4:22) A

It's the brand new Coldplay single. 'Nuff said.

4. Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc." (3:41) A-

If you remember "Clint Eastwood", then you'll remember Gorillaz. De La Soul raps in this new single, which has good music and a catchy tune. Oh yeah, this song was in an Ipod commercial.

5. Black Eyed Peas - "Don't Phunk With My Heart" (4:03) B-

The Black Eyed Peas have done so much better than this. This song gets so annoying at times. Don't lose faith in the Black Eyed Peas though - I have their new album "Monkey Business" and it's awesome, so go out and buy it for the other songs.

6. Audio Bullies Feat. Nancy Sinatra - "Shot You Down" (2:56) B

This song is so bad it's funny. It's a good thing it's catchy, or it would have a horrible grade.

7. Jem - "They" (3:15) B

After the intro, it's easy to lose interest. Good vocals and catchy music revive the song though.

8. Natalie Imbruglia - "Shiver" (3:43) B+

We already know that Natalie has good vocals, because we've all heard "Torn". "Shiver" is not quite as good, but it's still enjoyable.

9. KT Tunstall - "Other Side of the World" (3:32) A

I've never heard of KT before NOW 61, but now I'm eager to hear her other songs. "Other Side of the World" is simply amazing. Great songwriting, music, and singing. An instant classic.

10. Oasis - "Lyla" (5:12) A-

Oasis' new single "Lyla" is a long but strong song. Very catchy. I liked "Songbird" better, but this comes in second place.

11. Razorlight - "Somewhere Else" (3:12) B+

I'm not a big fan of Razorlight, but "Somewhere Else" is much better than their other single, "Golden Touch".

12. Bodyrockers - "I Like The Way" (3:20) B+

You might have heard this song in the Coca-Cola commercial, but if you haven't, you'll like this song anyway. It kind of grew on me; at first, that endless verse somewhat annoyed me, but after a while it became really addictive. The guitar building up in the background is really cool. Good house song.

13. Kaiser Chiefs - "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" (3:37) A

Amazing song. Kaiser Chiefs rock! Really catchy, and that distorted electric sound in the beginning is really cool. Oh, also, it'll be really strange if you don't sing along by the third time hearing this song.

14. The Caesars - "Jerk It Out" (3:14) B+/A-

Oh, come on. You've heard this song in the I-Pod commercials. Catchy beyond belief. You'll be dancing to this song, I-Pod in hand sooner than you know.

15. The Killers - "Smile Like You Mean It" (3:55) A

This brand new single from the Killers haven't reached US radio stations yet, so you can get to know (and love) the song before it becomes really popular. Catchy; maybe not as good as "Mr. Brightside", but its still really good.

16. Hard-Fi - "Hard To Beat" (4:13) B+

Great rock song.

17. Weezer - "Beverly Hills" (3:18) A+

The radio stations are starting to kill it, but this song rocks. Probably the definite song of Summer 2005. "Beverly Hills/That's Where I Want To Be!/Livin' In Beverly Hills!" Even I'm singing along to it now!!

18. Rob Thomas - "Lonely No More" (3:47) B+

This song seems a little outdated now that Rob Thomas' 2nd solo single is out, but "Lonely No More" is still an instant classic.

19. The Magic Numbers - "Forever Lost" (4:01) B

I don't really know this song well, but it's a pretty good rock song anyway.

20. Jack Johnson - "Good People" (3:29) B

You might have heard Jack Johnson on the Black Eyed Peas' album "Monkey Business" on "Gone Going", or you might have heard of him elsewhere. Point being, you probably know about Jack Johnson. "Good People" is a pretty good song with a good message.

21. U2 - "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" (4:43) A

On the first listen of the song, I really disliked it, thinking that U2 wasn't good at slow singles. I was wrong after a few more listens. At first, the song can be a little boring, but that chorus crushed every bad feeling I had about this song.



CD 2



1. Akon - "Lonely" (3:36) C

Personally, I totally despise this song. Worst song on the album. It's too bad, because Akon is a great singer, as shown on "Locked Up", "Baby I'm Back" Feat. Baby Bash, and "Ghetto", but "Lonely" is just purely horrible. Get rid of the chipmunk. We have enough animals in the recording business with Hampton the Hampster and Crazy Frog.

2. Mario - "Let Me Love You" (4:10) B+

Before the radio stations severely overplayed this song, "Let Me Love You" was a beautiful slow love song sang by Mario, a great teenage singer.

3. Gwen Stefani feat. Eve - "Rich Girl" (3:57) B+

This song is SO old and outdated right now, because "Hollaback Girl" is now old because "Cool" was just released. "Rich Girl" is a remake of the song "Rich Man" from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". Good song, very catchy, but very outdated.

4. Will Smith - "Switch" (3:17) A-

Officially the party anthem of 2005, "Switch" is an extremely catchy comeback for the actor/rapper Will Smith. Though the radio stations have seriously overplayed the song, "Switch" will still be playing at every party in the world.

5. MVP - "Roc Ya Body Mic Check 1,2" (3:31) B+

I've heard this song two years ago by the same artist, and yet the song is supposed to be brand new. I heard this on the radios and remembered mixing up the name of the song with Justin Timberlake's song "Rock Your Body". Still a good song, though. A future party song.

6. Mariah Carey - "It's Like That" (3:23) A-

You've definitely heard this on the radio or on MTV. "We Belong Together" is better, but "It's Like That" is still a great, catchy song.

7. Nelly - "N Dey Say" (3:28) A

This could be one of Nelly's best hits. Nelly tells a story with one of the catchiest choruses of all time. For real!

8. Bobby Valentino - "Slow Down" (4:18) B+

Bobby Valentino is a great new artist with a pretty good, slow debut single. His song with Ludacris, "Pimpin' All Over The World" is better though.

9. Faith Evans - "Again" (3:24) B+

Faith Evans is a strong singer. "Again" is a good song.

10. Joss Stone - "Don't 'Cha Wanna Ride" (3:31) A-

Joss Stone is a hot singer with a stunning voice. "Don't 'Cha Wanna Ride" might not be her best single, but hearing her powerful voice makes any song good, even if she sang 'N Sync.

11. Roll Deep - "Heartache Avenue" (3:36) A-

A catchy cover of the oldie song "Heartache Avenue". I think the sample was taken directly from the old song and rapping was added. Pretty good.

12. Charlotte Church - "Crazy Chick" (3:08) A-

You might remember her from "The Opera Song" under the name of CMC. "Crazy Chick" is a great Motown revival. Quite catchy!

13. Rachel Stevens - "So Good" (3:14) A+

Rachel Stevens' best hit to date is the dangerously catchy "So Good". That bass that begins at the start of the song will pull you in to the song instantly.

14. Inaya Day - "Nasty Girl" (2:57) B+

Pretty good singer with a pretty good song.

15. Deep Dish - "Say Hello" (3:07) A

You might remember Deep Dish for their remix of Dido's "Thank You", and for their own extremely popular cover of "He's A Dream", "Flashdance". "Say Hello" is a great follow-up, with an extremely catchy repeating verse and music that will endlessly repeat in your mind for weeks.

16. Freeloaders Feat. The Real Thing - "So Much Love To Give" (3:08) B

Good music, but that singer repeating "So Much Love To Give" is SO annoying.

17. Kylie Minogue - "Giving You Up" (3:30) A-

Kylie is an awesome singer with almost 35 singles released over the past decade or two. The fact that she had Breast Cancer is very sad, but it is good that she is recovering. "Giving You Up" is a very catchy house song.

18. Girls Aloud - "Wake Me Up" (3:27) A-

That electric guitar loop reminds me a lot of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You Been Gone". "Wake Me Up" is a cool house song.

19. Crazy Frog - "Axel F" (2:57) A-

Suprisingly, this song is very popular now. It is a remake of the extremely popular tune "Axel F", now featuring sounds from the infamous Crazy Frog ringtones, or the sound on the internet video, The Insanity Test (Google it).

20. Tony Christie - "Avenues and Alleyways" (3:19) A-

A much better song from oldie singer Tony Christie. It's from the late 70's, but yet it's still on an album from 2005. Quite peculiar.

21. McFly - "You've Got A Friend" (4:31) A-

McFly's latest is a cover of Carole King and James Taylor's hit "You've Got A Friend", now used for Comic Relief 2005. I truthfully have no idea what that is. I also don't know why McFly now is only doing slow love songs. Go back to what you started with, like "Five Colors In Her Hair"!

22. Heather Small - "Proud" (4:29) A++++++!

THE BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM is "Proud", the theme of the London olympics of 2010. This song has such a great message, sang by the OUTSTANDING singer from the 90's dance band M People. Such a great way to end an awesome album! 1000/100!



So, to sum everything up, this album could possibly be the best NOW album of all 61 of them. So many catchy songs and very few bad songs make up this dominating album. It's worth the money, trust me. Ashley Abrams, you have a winning compilation series going on here. Keep going--I'm now an official diehard fan!!!!!"

Gotta get 'em all

Amanda Richards | Georgetown, Guyana | 08/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The British versions of the Now Music series always give you a big bang for your buck (or pound sterling), but this one is the best I have seen for a long time.



Forty three tracks of big songs make this a must for your 2000s music collection, as it includes artistes like:



James Blunt; the eternal 2Pac (with Sir Elton John, no less); Coldplay; Gorillaz; Black Eyed Peas; Oasis; The Killers; Weezer; Natalie Imbruglia; Rob Thomas; surfer dude Jack Johnson; U2; Akon; Gwen Stefani; Will Smith; Mariah Carey; Nelly; Faith Evans; Joss Stone; Charlotte Church (in a totally different and unrecognizable pop reincarnation); and Kylie Minogue.



It has some good songs that I wasn't familiar with, like the tracks by Audio Bullys (featuring THE Nancy Sinatra); a catchy one by Jem, titled "They"; an excellent vocal performance by K T Tunstall; Razorlight; Kaiser Chiefs with the addictive "Every Day I Love You Less and Less"; Caesars; M.V.P. (I'm still bouncing to "Rock Ya Body"; Rachel Stevens; and in typical UK fashion, a couple of "Dance" music tracks, including a funny version of "Axel F" by Crazy Frog.



Starting with a roar, it finishes less loudly with Tony Christie singing the retro "Avenues and Alleyways"; McFly with a version of James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend"; and Heather Small with her powerful vocals on "Proud".



An album that is guaranteed to have you bouncing around the house.



Amanda Richards, August 1, 2005



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