Alternative Rock Compilations music reviews

The Cd's seem to fly by,..it's packed with lots of music,...espcially like the They Might Be Giants track and the AM Radio song aswell: really awsome!!

The Cd's seem to fly by,..it's packed with lots of music,...espcially like the They Might Be Giants track and the AM Radio song aswell: really awsome!!

The Cd's seem to fly by,..it's packed with lots of music,...espcially like the They Might Be Giants track and the AM Radio song aswell: really awsome!!

I mostly to our versions of Now and I like them a lot. I didn't even know there was a UK version until I saw this one at fye. I bought it (myself) for $30! I thought wow, do I really want it? The more I listened to it, the more I loved it! So many great songs! The only problem is that there are some bad ones. Here's a list of songs on this CD with my own ratings.

CD 1
1. Ronan Keating - "If Tommorrow Never Comes" B-, sweet song, but gets a little repetitive
2. Liberty X - "Just a Little" C, BORING!
3. George Michael - "Freeek!" D+, great beat, but AWFUL lyrics!
4. Sugababes - "Freak Like Me" F, I hate the Sugababes! they make me so angry!
5. Kylie Minogue - "Love at First Sight" A+, Nice beat! Great Lyrics!
6. Enrique Iglesias - "Escape" C-, really dull song
7. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Get Over You" like #6, really dull
8. S Club Juniors - "One Step Closer" B+, they're okay
9. Nigel and Marvin - "Follow Da Leader" B, it's okay once in a while
10. Scooter - "The Logical Song" A+, I heard this song at a Devil Rays game one night!
11. Dee Dee - "Forever" F, TRASH!
12. Flip and Fill - "Shooting Star" B+, NEAT!
13. Paffendorf - "Be Cool" C+, ABSOLUTELY DISTURBING!
14. Kelly Llorenna - "Tell it to My Heart" F, Bad remake of Taylor Dayne's smash hit
15. Shy FX - "Shake UR Body" B-, HORRIBLE!
16. Tim Deluxe - "It Just Won't Do" A-, good but the lyrics need some work
17. Shakedown - "At Night" B, it's okay
18. Moony - "Dove" B, same as #17
19. Intenso Project - "Luv Da Sunshine" A+, I love the hit!
20. 4 Strings - "(Take Me Away)Into the Night" F, OH MY GOSH! HOW TERRIBLE!
21. Mad'House - "Like a Prayer" C, bad song
22. S Club 7 - "You" B+, suitable for a Friends episode, I like it

CD 2 - The Best Part
1. Atomic Kitten - "It's OK!" A-, I don't like Atomic Kitten, but I like this song!
2. Britney Spears - "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" D-, OH COME ON!
3. Ashanti - "Foolish" B, I hear it everywhere nowadays
4. Mary J Blige - "No More Drama" B, it's okay
5. Nsync - "Girlfriend" C, I like Nsync, but not this song!
6. Christina Milian - "When You Look At Me" F, VERY BORING!
7. Nelly - "Hot in Herre" C+, I like the beat but not the lyrics!
8. Ms. Dynamite - "It Takes More" D+, GOSH! HOW DISTURBING!
9. Omero Mumba - "Lil' Big Man" A, now we're talking!
10. Aaliyah - "Rock the Boat" A-, a very catchy song by an artist that's no longer around
11. The Reelists - "Freak Mode" B+, neat
12. 1 Giant Leap - "My Culture" A+, AWESOME SONG!
13. Amy Studt - "Just a Little Girl" F, here we go again!
14. Sheryl Crow - "Soak Up the Sun" A-, WOW!
15. Doves - "Pounding" A+, ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS! I'm a huge Doves fan!
16. The Space Cowboy - "I Would Die 4 U" A+, great remake of Prince's hit
17. Idlewild - "American English" B, okay
18. Puddle of Mudd - "Blurry" B, same as #17
19. Moby - "We are All Made of Stars" A-, great song, but I like "Extreme Ways" better
20. Oasis - "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" A+, I LOVE OASIS! THIS IS EVEN BETTER THAN WONDERWALL!!! What a great way to end the album. This is my favorite song ever!

Songs for all tastes. Plenty of good ones

1. Ronan Keating - If Tomorrow Never Comes (1/5 - boring!)
2. Liberty X - Just A Little (3.5/5 - catchy pop/r&b song)
3. George Michael - Freeek! (3/5 - quite good)
4. Sugababes - Freak Like Me (4/5 - love the Sugas! Cool electropop song)
5. Kylie Minogue - Love At First Sight (5/5 - my idol! Love her)
6. Enrique Iglesias - Escape (1.5/5 - bad Enrique song, its just so dull)
7. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Get Over You (4/5 - catchy dancepop song)
8. S Club Juniors - One Step Closer (2/5 - not my thing)
9. Nigel & Marvin - Follow Da Leader (3/5 - very catchy, but cheesy)
10. Scooter - The Logical Song (2.5/5 - lol this is the only tolerable song they've made along with Nessaja)
11. Dee Dee - Forever (4.5/5 - excellent trance song)
12. Flip & Fill - Shooting Star (5/5 - love this song, reminds me of the summer)
13. Paffendorf - Be Cool (4.5/5 - more excellent trance)
14. Kelly Llorenna - Tell It To My Heart (5/5 - excellent cover, trance style)
15. Shy FX & T-Power feat. Di - Shake UR Body (3.5/5 - catchy drum n bass tune)
16. Tim Deluxe feat. Sam Obernik - It Just Won't Do (2/5 - catchy but irritating, dont really like house)
17. Shakedown - At Night (3/5 - pleasant)
18. Moony - Dove (I'll Be Loving You) (3/5 - catchy, but could be better)
19. Intenso Project - Luv Da Sunshine (1.5/5 - crap)
20. 4 Strings - (Take Me Away) Into The Night (5/5 - brilliant trance song, simply beautiful)
21. Mad'House - Like A Prayer (4.5/5 - great cover of the Madonna track)

Disc: 2
1. Atomic Kitten - It's OK! (5/5 - my favourite AK song)
2. Britney Spears - I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman (2/5 - dull)
3. Ashanti - Foolish (2.5/5 - quite dull, but ok)
4. Mary J Blige - No More Drama (4/5 - lovely! and i dont usually like her stuff)
5. *Nsync - Girlfriend (3.5/5 - mature song, from a surprisingly mature album)
6. Christina Milian - When You Look At Me (4.5/5 - very catchy, massive hit!)
7. Nelly feat. Dani Stevenson - Hot In Herre (2/5 - dull, very dull)
8. Ms. Dynamite - It Takes More (3/5 - nice song)
9. Omero Mumba - Lil' Big Man (1/5 - crap)
10. Aaliyah - Rock The Boat (3/5 - nice, soothing song. she's capable of much better though, RIP)
11. The Reelists - Freak Mode (1.5/5 - bad song)
12. 1 Giant Leap - My Culture (1/5 - lifeless song, boring)
13. Amy Studt - Just A Little Girl (2/5 - she has better songs)
14. Sheryl Crow - Soak Up The Sun (3/5 - quite nice)
15. Doves - Pounding (0/5 - i hate rock)
16. The Space Cowboy - I Would Die 4 U (3/5 - catchy dance song)
17. Idlewild - American English (0/5 - more crappy rock)
18. Puddle Of Mudd - Blurry (2.5/5 - decent rock song)
19. Moby - We Are All Made Of Stars (1/5 - not a fan of this)

Brilliant stuff. 42 songs, what great value. Brief rundown with marks out of five:

1. If Tomorrow Never Comes - OK song. A bit boring and slow. 2/5
2. Just A Little - Brill song. Liberty X are cool. 5/5
3. Freeek - I don't like George Michael. This is catchy, though. 2.5/5
4. Freak Like Me - I love this! Dancy and cool. 5/5
5. Love At First Sight - Kylie Minogue is annoying. This is alright. 3/5
6. Escape - I hate Enrique. But this has a catchy chorus. 3/5
7. Get Over You - I like this song. Very dancy. 4/5
8. One Step Closer - S Club Juniors [are bad]. This song is boring. 1/5
9. Follow Da Leader - Catchy and cool. 3/5
10. The Logical Song - Boring! I hate dance music. 2/5
11. Forever - Skipped this, cuz it sounded boring. 1/5
12. Shooting Star- Alright song. 3/5
13. Be Cool - Another ok song. 3/5
14. Tell It To My Heart - Boring song. 1/5
15. Shake UR Body - Catchy and cool. 4/5
16. It Just Won't Do - Alright I guess. 3/5
17. At Night - A dance song I actually like. Cool. 4/5
18. Dove - WAY overplayed. Catchy but annoying. 3/5
19. Luv Da Sunshine & 20. Into The Night - Boring. Skip them usually. Both 1/5
21. Like A Prayer - Boring song. I's better then the last two. 2/5
22. You - I love this! Cheesy, but catchy and cool. 5/5
23. It's OK - AK's best single yet. Very cool. 5/5
24. Not A Girl - The worst of Britney's single. Nice chorus. 3/5
25. Foolish - I love it! Very cool music and vocals. 5/5
26. No More Drama - Overplayed. But still catchy. 3/5

27. Girlfriend - I prefer the version wih Nelly. 2/5
28. When You Look At Me - Cool catchy song. I like Christina. 5/5
29. Hot In Here - Catchy, but got annoying after awhile. 3/5
30. It Takes More - Cool R&B song. 4/5
31. Lil Big Man - Cool song. Very cool. 4/5
32. Rock The Boat - Sexy song. I like it a lot. 5/5
33. Freak Mode - Don't like it much. 2/5
34. My Culture - Robbie sounds cool in this. 3/5
35. Just A Little Girl - Boring song. It's alright. 2.5/5
36. Soak Up The Sun - The beginning is cool I'm sick of it. 3/5
37. Pounding - Boring song. 1/5
38. I Would Die 4 You - Bad message. Lol. Don't like it. 1/5
39. American English - It's alright. 2/5
40. Blurry - Good song. I like a rock song! :O 3/5
41. We Are All Made Of Stars - I like this. Catchy. 3/5
42. Stop Crying Your Heart Out- I HATE Oasis. 1/5

I reviewed the whole CD. It's alright, some good tracks some [bad] tracks. Buy it anyway.

I suggest you weigh and measure the amount of money you put on the value of TWO good songs; since Queensryche's "Eye's of a Stranger," and Judas Priest's "Beyond the Realms ..." are, in my opinion, the ONLY TWO SONGS worthy of the amount of money spent on this CD.

Great compilation of metal classics such as the theme for bordello of blood from Anthrax. Pantera's Cemetary Gates from the demonknight movie. Judas priest, mercyful fate, black saint and more just great metal soundtrack from the crypt.

This is pretty much the only Metal compilation cd that I would advise buying. If you look at that track list and don't see at least 6 songs that you like, you may want to start thinking about a different genre of music.

When bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam redefined the "alternative rock" genre in the early 90s, it became easy to forget that the 70s and 80s had alternative scenes of their own.

Except back then it was called "new wave" and the songs were characterized by synth-driven tempos, propulsive arrangements, and lyrics about alienation and nuclear war.

Freedom of Choice, a fund-raiser for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, presents some of the genre's best songs and places them in the context of the alternative rock of the 90s. So, songs by the Human League, A Flock of Seagulls, Missing Persons and Soft Cell are covered by Chia Pet, It's OK, Erectus Monotone, and Finger, respectively. Add covers of pre-new wavers Elvis Costello by Mudhoney and Iggy Pop by Tiny Lights, and you've got the idea.

When this collection came out in 1992, it was probably a little early to be commemorating the 80s and call -- as the liner notes do -- the Go-Go's Charlotte Caffey and Devo's Gerald V. "new wave legends". The good news, however, is that unlike most compilation CDs, this one is surprisingly consistent.

Sonic Youth, perhaps the best-known alternative band on the compilation, turn in a fine dismantling of Plastic Bertrand's "Ca Plane Pour Moi" as do Yo La Tengo, who cover Blondie's best song, "Dreaming".

White Flag provide an effective, albeit unrecognizable, cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" and the Muffs score with an upbeat version of Paul Collins' "Rock & Roll Girl".

More faithful to the originals are Mudhoney's take on Elvis Costello's "Pump it Up" and the Connells' rendition of Split Enz's "I Got You."

Ten years after the fact, this compilation remains an interesting relic, though it's telling that the bands of the 80s covered here are still remembered fondly, while the bands doing the covering are, but for a handful, mostly forgotten.

Many people hate tribute records. Many people like them. I am one of the later. I accept that they are often made in a careless way, looking like the artist involved didn't care too much for something they are doing free. This is not the case here. Almost all the covers are taken very seriously, with love. After all those are the songs that really got a lot of people into music. And we are talking about some heavyweigths here: Sonic Youth (alma mater of the project), Mudhoney, Yo la Tengo...

It's for a great cause, this album, despite what rightwingers might think of it. If you are old enough to remember the old K-Tel compilations (predates Now That's What I Call Music!) like Chartaction '83, Streer Beat or Hit Mix, you probably heard the originals on one of those. Before alternative got silly, several of the "biggies" (Sonic Youth, Redd Kross, Superchunk, Mudhoney, The Muffs and an uncredited Soul Asylum doing the Vibrators' "Baby Baby") and some lesser knowns put out this album of cover tunes. It was too early in some respects for the 1980s retro boom of late, but 13 years on they still hold up pretty well and the price is right. I got this when I was in high school and still listen to it quite frequently.

Signed,
epsteinsmutha

Search out the above 2 CD set. This looks like just the first CD of that set.

I've been listening to Bruce since he was on the cover of Newsweek, etc. And . . . this cd has creative, innovative covers that make the listener even more-aware of the original seminal lyrics. I love these reinterpretations, and I think, if you are any kind of a Bruce fan, you shouldn't let this cd escape you! Buy it! An easy five-stars! Great driving music--makes the miles fly by.

Well, another cover album of the boss. this one doesn't miss a thing.

Definitely a "greatest hits" collection of dance mixes from the day, this one is filled with club hits and cheesy commercial radio hits. The real tragedy here is that, several of these songs, which are near impossible to find on CD, are all very short on this disc. Track times:

1. professional widow (3:58)
2. america (I love America) (5:10)
3. For the love of you (tony moran mix) (4:58)
4. The bomb (4:35)
5. Heartbeat (e-smoove mix) (5:57)
6. Close to you (4:20)
7. The boss (5:57)
8. once in a lifetime (3:41)
9. Make my body rock (4:55)
10. never get enough (junior's deep factory mix) (4:42)
11. tonight is the night (with the ORIGINAL vocalist, not the re-recording) (5:20)
12. everybody be somebody (back in the days mix) (6:35)

I used to do a lot of step aerobics. Now in my 50's, my knees are kinda wonky, but my favorite heart workout is still free-form mixed-impact, dance-y step, performed for about an hour. This CD has been a good fall-back-to selection for years. I rediscover it and play the heck out of it for a month or two before I cycle it out, but I always go back to it. The pace slides up and down very slightly, which revs my adrenal jets a lot.

I do a lot of types of workouts, and my other favorite aerobic music includes rock like Limp Biskit, Midnight Oil and Big Country, Latin like Chucho Valdez and Tito Puentes, rap, reggaeton like Don Omar, and of course dance music like Johnny Vicious Ultra Dance 01. This CD is right there, though. Very blood-pumping.

It's a great "hop on the elliptical trainer and check out" disc. Nicely paced and a good mix of music that was current when it came out. I still enjoy this on occaision, years later.

Not bad, but the original Knitters were *so* much better! I recommend anyone buy the original first. That was truly a work of unvarnished American rockabilly-punk. Listening again to my vinyl copy I hear mistakes, things falling on the floor in the background, general chaos--in a word, *energy*. Really high energy. Just listening to the original Knitters' "Rock Island Line," brings back that visceral disgust I felt then for anyone over the age of 21! For X, The Cramps, and guys like Billy Zoom, Dave Alvin, and even Brian Setzer, music was not about airplay but about nasty, dark, smoky clubs the size of garages that fat, tassel-loafer-and-shorts middle-aged suburban guys use for their Z3s, their neglected wives' SUVs and their riding lawn mowers, and found in nasty, dark, smelly alleys of downtown where the rats under the dumpsters were the size of the wife's jack russell.

So if you *really* want to hear rockabilly-punk, find the original. And if you're sick to death of market-driven, techno-busy pop like Britney, Eminem or any other current "musician" then dig up other stuff made or produced by these old rockabilly guys--just read the liner notes and go from there. If you're unconvinced of the terminal zombifying effects of record company marketing just listen to an old 1963 recording of the Beatles playing the Star Club in Hamburg, and you'll understand. Even *they* were a different band back then--they had ENERGY!

This is a really fun album. It's a tribute to the Knitters, who did a punk/country album in the 80s that was, itself, a tribute to the Carter Family and other country greats. This album features some great bands (Trailer Bride, The Handsome Family, The Sadies) and one song by the Knitters themselves. People who are into oldtime country or roots music will love this album, because it's a fun twist on the old stuff. People who are into Chicago indie rock and 80s punk will also appreciate this album. It's a real gem.

colplay five stars
missy four stars
avril three stars
alicia a surprisingly dissapointing three stars for a boring performance
michelle four stars
nappy roots, annoying but alright two stars
jewel four stars
roots, my favorite surprise on this disc, i have to pick up their discs now FIVE STARS
lil kim four stars
new found glory one star cuz i can't give 0
vanessa- we'll see a lot from her i think four stars
lisa marie- shouldn't sing but still kinda interesting two stars
wayne wonder- wonder why? one star
Devin Mcgraw- Annoying voice good song three stars.

The reason I purchased this CD is because of the extra Jewel Material on it. I'm also a fan of live performances in general so here's a brief overview of all the songs:
1. The Scientist/Coldplay- Good way to start the CD, great.
2. Work It/Missy Eliot- Why do they let these people perform?
3. Mobile/Avril Lavigne- Vocals aren't great, but good song.
4. Someday We'll All Be Free/Alicia Keys- Powerful performance.
5. Are You Happy Now/Michelle Branch- Original is better.
6. Awnaw/Nappy Roots- Worst song on the whole CD
7. Intuition/Jewel- Rose between 2 thorns, very well done.
8. Break You Off/The Roots- May be the second worse song.
9. The Jump Off/Lil' Kim- *pounds head on desk* I HATE this.
10. My Friends Over You/New Found Glory- It's pretty good.
11. A Thousand Miles/Vanessa Carlton- Beautiful piano and voice.
12. Lisa Marie Presley/Sinking In- Not a good performance :-(
13. No Letting Go/Wayne Wonder- I hate these kinds of songs.
14. Follow Through/Gavin Degraw- *shrugs* not bad
**Jewel Video Performance- If you're a Jewel fan this alone is worth buying the CD; she looks great!

It seems crazy to even attempt to cover the songs of Patsy Cline and yet if I were a singer I think I'd want to try as well. The trouble is, not many singers can really pull this catalog off as this collection bears out. Only two tracks are outstanding, some are ok, some are depressing for all the wrong reasons.

For the bad, "I Fall to Pieces" is an amazing heartbreaking song and Natalie Cole is completely unequipped to sing it (at least she didn't sing it as a duet with Patsy a la Unforgettable.) Norah Jones and Michelle Branch, two talented singers dealing with their own material, are unable to pull their respective numbers off (incidentally, Norah fares much better on "Just Because I'm a Woman" a similiar but much more successful tribute to Dolly Parton.) Diana Krall's reading of "Crazy" is strangely flat, as is kd Lang's washed-out "Leavin on Your Mind." The latter was particularly surprising because at first glance I expected this to be the standout track. Patty Griffin's rendition of "Faded Love" might have been good but seems drowned by the production.

There is yet some hope for this CD though. Lee Ann Womack does a brilliant, wrenching version of "She's Got You" and Terri Clark smokes on "Walking After Midnight." Amy Grant's cover of "Back in Baby's Arms" is suprisingly good as well. The final track is an a capella rendition of "Sweet Dreams" by Martina McBride with backing vocals from Take 6. Although I didn't really enjoy Take 6's contribution, this was well-executed otherwise.

While cover versions can often be an interesting twist or occasional improvement on the original, I think buying a Patsy Cline album would be a much better use of your hard-earned money OR look into Loretta Lynn's "Sings Patsy Cline's Favorites."

... and that's why, with a couple of exceptions, I think this CD works. No one else could bring Patsy Cline's combination of soulful emotion and richly textured vocal quality to these songs, so why try? A case in point: Jessi Alexander's rendition of "So Wrong," wherein she tries mightily to imitate Patsy phrase for phrase - and fails.

Two other cuts miss the mark: Natalie Cole's approach to "I Fall to Pieces," well, falls flat - primarly because Natalie Cole's singing style is somewhere between a bray and a whine. And I have issues with Martina McBride and Take 6's version of "Sweet Dreams," largely because they're so enamored of the soundscape that the song gets completely lost in the shuffle.

But the other cuts are pretty snazzy, each for a different reason. Norah Jones' reading of "Why Can't He Be You?" conveys just the right air of ambivalence. Amy Grant's Texas swing-style arrangement of "Back in Baby's Arms" captures the good cheer of the song, and some of its sass as well. Diana Krall's rendition of "Crazy" proves not only that a great song is a great song in ANY setting, but also that a smart musician with a fresh approach can reveal new meaning in a song you've heard a zillion times. Michelle Branch's "Strange" is a bit, um, strange, in that she has an oddly unpleasant voice - and yet her interpretation somehow works. Terri Clark puts some muscle into "Walkin' After Midnight," Rebecca Lynn Howard tears the roof off of "You're Stronger Than Me," Lee Ann Womack gets to the emotional meat of "She's Got You," and Patti Griffin imbues "Faded Love" with such sadness and a sense of loss that I almost don't miss the ragged intake of breath that made Patsy's original such a stunner.

And then there's k.d. lang. The perfect, velvety vocals ... the powerful sound and equally powerful feeling ... the world-weary, "I've been through this before and I know what's coming" tone ... this is one brilliant recording. Never afraid to take a song apart and put it back together again, she's one of the truly great singers of this - or any - generation.

I'm a bit mystified by the reviewers here who seem to feel this CD doesn't qualify as a "tribute" because the singers, for the most part, bring their own individual style to their tracks. Isn't that what Patsy herself did, to the everlasting good fortune of us all?

I love Patsy Cline's music as much as I love her voice. She was an artist who took a song and made it her own. I never thought I could appreciate a Cline song by another artist, that is until now. From Natalie Cole's interpretation of "I Fall To Pieces," Norah Jones' gorgeous vocals on "Why Can't He Be You," to Diana Krall's brilliant take on "Crazy" and the finale of all finales, an acapella rendition of "Sweet Dreams (Of You)" recorded impeccably by Martina McBride with Take 6. This CD has something for every Cline fan and anyone a fan of beautiful songs that are brilliantly recorded and arranged. Other artists include, Michelle Branch, Amy Grant, Lee Ann Womack, and the incomparable k.d. lang singing her idols praises on "Leavin' On Your Mind." If you're in the mood for love, or memories of love, this one's for you. What a remarkable tribute to a remarkable artist. Sweet Dreams indeed!

This is horrible. Dont buy any grammy cds or support them. The grammys are horrible.

Thats it. I now hate the grammys. Grammys 2004 are also REALLY bad. I wish the grammys were good.

Yeah, they sort of half-assed the track list; some of the songs here weren't really spectacularly big hits and barely made the charts. Anyways, here's a review of each song:

A THOUSAND MILES- To this day, by far her best song ever. Very good song, and she wrote it all by herself! ^.^ Catchy and sweet. Beautiful piano playing. Good message, too. (5/5)

DON'T KNOW WHY- This song's pretty good. Very, very slow and mellow. Probably one of her better songs. But I don't love it; a little too boring. But nice and gentle. Easy on the ears. (4/5)

HOW YOU REMIND ME- This song was SO overplayed on the radio but I guess it's pretty good. Reminds me of Hootie & The Blowfish. It's kinda catchy, but screaming banging grunge rock I've really never liked that much. (4/5)

LANDSLIDE- I can't stand country. This song is horrible. And what's worse, I remember hearing this on the radio a kajillion times. Nothing worse than a God-awful song getting overplayed. (0/5)

WITHOUT ME- Ah, Eminem. There are three things you can count on with his radio hits: 1. A catchy, sometimes poppy hook. 2. A series of hysterical, bitchy one-liners. And 3. A whole lot of blanked out cuss words. And this contains, of course, all three. I personally think this is one of his best songs ever-"The Real Slim Shady" is probably my favorite, but this is a close second. Ya gotta love him. And yet, you gotta hate him. (4/5)

HOT IN HERRE- This is probably Nelly's third-best song. "Ride Wit Me" is #1 with me, and "Dilemma" is a very close second. This is an *obviously* Neptunes-produced rap/dance track, and it is catchy, sassy, fun, and stupid. All the ingredients for a perfect let-loose dance song. (4/5)

FOOLISH- I don't like this one. Boring, stupid. Repetitive. I don't like Ashanti. (0/5)

ALL YOU WANTED- This is one of the reasons why I bought this. I love all three of Michelle Branch's radio hits; they're all fantastic. But sometimes in this song her voice sounds a bit too much like that of a young Alanis Morrisette; whimpering and whiny. But still very catchy, easy on the ears, awesome message and lyrics. (5/5)

COMPLICATED- This is Avril's theme song. If you haven't heard it you are not from Earth. Great song; catchy and somewhat deep lyrics, but....I don't know if I can call it her best. (5/5)

YOUR BODY IS A WONDERLAND- B-O-R-I-N-G. The beginning is so dull I don't even want to listen to the whole thing. But I still do. And it just gets worse and worse and worse. The lyrics are retarded. Skip this one. (0/5)

SOAK UP THE SUN- This one will annoy many, many people. But I suppose I kind of like it. One of her better songs. As I've said in previous reviews, I loathe country, but if it has a catchy hook and/or pop/rock undertones, I can handle it and sometimes even enjoy it. It's okay, but sort of generic and annoying. (3/5)

GET THE PARTY STARTED- This is an AWESOME song-arguably Pink's best ever-but she has a lot of cool songs so I don't know. Either way, you MUST hear this incredibly catchy dance track; great for clubs and parties. Really gets you in the mood to party. (5/5)

OVERPROTECTED- Okay, okay....this really wasn't that big a hit and probably doesn't deserve to be on a Grammy Nominees CD. Britney's third album was pretty mediocre, and none of the tracks became true chart-toppers in the U.S. But. I love this song and I can relate to it. Very catchy, fun, rebellious, and just....addictive. And in its entirety, this version is far better than the Darkchild Remix. I listen to this song probably a little too often. (5/5)

7 DAYS- Bleaugh I don't like this one. There are already too many ballads and slow tracks here. We don't need another one. Boring, has me yawning in seconds. The lyrics are SO stupid. I'm fed up with these people acting like they're such hot s***, always going out with hotties and only going after people for their looks. (0/5)

FRAGILE- The beginning of this song is so beautiful. A tad slow and boring, but that's justified with this one because it's so pretty and relaxing. A fantastic song to listen to when you're looking out the window at rain/when you want to relax. (4/5)

OCTOBER ROAD- Too folky. As I said, I hate country. And I hate this song. (0/5)

GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT- Ugh I can't stand grungy punk rock. And what is the deal with all these poppy punkers (like Blink-182) trying to speak weirdly with some kind of slur/lisp/childish accent? This song is unbelievably annoying. (0/5)

WHERE ARE YOU GOING- This song also suffered overplay on the radio, but it's not horrible. I kind of like it. Mellow, catchy. (2/5)

GIRLFRIEND- This is one of *Nsync's best songs. Very different from their earlier sugary bubblegum pop. The background beats remind me of "Hot In Herre". It sounds like it was produced by The Neptunes. Quite catchy, fun. Not their absolute best, but....pretty damn good. After you listen to it a few times, it gets better. I reluctantly give it 5 stars. (5/5)

OVERALL SCORE: 55/95

There are a LOT of awful tracks really bringing down the score, but the good ones (A Thousand Miles, Without Me, Hot In Herre, All You Wanted, Complicated, Get The Party Started, Overprotected, Fragile, and Girlfriend) make this pretty much a worthwhile buy. I kind of wish they would have replaced tracks like "Foolish," "7 Days," "Girl All The Bad Guys Want," and "Your Body Is A Wonderland" with "Dilemma" or "Hey Baby." But we can't have everything, can we? Stay away if you really don't like poppy rap-dance tracks and very slow chill-out music, because both are here in abundance.

There was a time when the Grammy Awards were incredibly bias with their nominees for the major awards (good, but still bias). The 2003 awards (meaning music from 2002) was the year when all the diversity bariers were broken down. The tracklisting still has a slight tilt towards pop, the reason for that is because Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocal are covered. But Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist are included as well:
(1) Vanessa Carlton "A Thousand Miles" A-. A beautiful, sweet almost philosophical pop song. The material may seem standard but Vanessa's voice and lyrics make it a catchy piece of work.
Endlessly listenable with fantastic images.
(2) Norah Jones "Don't Know Why" C+. What is this song doing in 2002? Everything about it seems outdated and unfinished, like the producers just stopped trying. What little substance is here is lost because listeners are put to sleep.
(3) 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.
(4) Dixie Chicks "Landslide" B. Again, country isn't bmy cup of tea, but this song works for me. The girls' make this Fleetwood Mac song their own and add some blueglass flavor with unique acoustic arangements.
(5) Eminem "Without Me" A. Easily Shady's most satirical, funniest and biting work yet. His "razor tounged lyrics" find the right targets, address a number of "issues" and make good point all to a hilarious entertaining results.
(6) 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 ikt into a must hear summer dance/rap song. Completely enjoyable in every way.
(7) Ashanti "Foolish" B+. A smooth, relaxing and toughing R&B song which is darn infectious. Thankfully it contains a rather original idea, but has a flaw becuase it seems to hold the listener at a distance.
(8) Michelle Branch "All You Wanted" A. A deep and touching pop/rock song that finds the right impact from the lyrics and guitar chords. Another song that starts with simple material, yet rise far above it.
(9)Avril Lavigne "Complicated" A. Hands down THE best song writing from THE best new artist of 2002! Everything about this song works from the chilling guitar opening to deep, powerful and enotional lyrics. Every second of this masterpiece should put a tear in your eye.
(10) John Mayer "Your Body Is A Wonderland" A-. It's hard to believe that he was only 16 when he made this song. Content as old as Shakespeare gets a nice modern revamp in a sweet, light and easing ballad. It'll ease the troubled mind with no problem.
(11) Sheryl Crow "Soak Up The Sun" A-. This song just has an a complete summer feel to it. Everything about this light, catchy, fun pop/rock tune demonstrates the full extent of Sheryl Crows comprehensive talents.
(12) P!NK "Get The Party Started" B+. This was hailed by many as THE best sing of 2001. It's not that good, but it is still an endlessly enjoyable, clubbed up dance track with a combination of a slick production and killer voice and lyrics.
(13) Britney Spears "Overprotected" B-. It has more substance than your standard Britney song, yet it still feels like a whiny rant under the surface. Darkchild's production and the infectious beat make it listenavle though.
(14) Craig David "7 Days" B+. The song isn't in the same league as "Fill Me In", but is still very catchy and is a nice little relaxing listen. Craig David finds a relaxed tone to make the song flow efforlessly.
(15) Sting "Fragile" C+. Sting is a very talented male artist who just doesn't put in the full effort here. Everything starts out perfectly, then grows redundant and repedative as the song carries on. It's a work that just diudn't quite come together.
(16) James Taylor "October Road" A-. A nice piece for his later career to still to convey the talent he still has. Shows that sometimes a simple premise and tone is all that is needed to make a good song.
(17) Bowling For Soup "Girl All The Bad Guys Want" A-. A strange and original pop/punk transition. The song seems bizarre at first, but once it takes off it reaches maximum velocity. I love every second of it.
(18) Dave Matthews Band "Where Are You Going" C. Textbook standard light rock in every way. This is what happens when a group doesn't try and just goes through the standard flows of music.
(19) *N Sync "Girlfriend" B-. This isn't bad, it just lacks that flavor that the Neptunes Remix feat. Nelly had. That version benefitted alot from Nelly's style and attitude, maybe they couldn't nominate it because it was remix. Still a Neptunes production, this version remains listenable.
Bottom Line: ***1/2. The album may have a few slow spots scattered about, but the diversity and abundance of quality tracks make up for it. The nominees were a pretty good selection of music in 2002, too bad the winners weren't as well.