Universal Smash Hits, Vol. 3 CD

Juvenile/Lil Wayne/Lindsay Lo- Han/3 Doors Down/Godsmack/Jojo

Personnel: Jabba (vocals); Billy Odum (guitar); Taurus Caine, Big Byrd (programming); Danny Mosley, Tre Sis, Tam Cobb, June Aja, Gabriel Cobb, Angela Cobb, Kim Moore Johnson (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Jermaine Dupri; Elijah Wells; Happy Perez; Scissor Sisters; Kevin "KD" Davis; Supa Engineer "Dura"; Electric Pete; David Bottrill; Dave Junco; Josh Brochhausen; Derek Pacuk; James Hoover; Juvenile; Phil Tan; Randy Staub ; Richard Travali; Lionel Bermingham; Leslie Brathwaite; James Bevelle; Fabian Marasciullo.
Arrangers: Karlin; Soulshock.
Universal Smash Hits, Vol. 3, like the two volumes that preceded it, rounds up a broad mix of chart hits from a two-year period. Not too many music fans have preferences broad enough to factor Juvenile, Scissor Sisters, and Lindsay Lohan into their listening time, so the appeal of the disc is limited. The most memorable singles here were big during the summers of 2003 and 2004, including Murphy Lee's "Wat da Hook Gon Be" (memorable isn't always equitable with "good," mind), Lil' Wayne's "Go DJ," Akon's "Locked Up," Nina Sky's "Move Ya Body," and Terror Squad's "Lean Back." Unsurprisingly, most of Universal's hits from this period weren't rock-oriented in the least, so 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You" and Godsmack's "Running Blind" are literally tacked on at the end of the program. ~ Andy Kellman
It comes as little surprise that UNIVERSAL SMASH HITS 3 contains some of the biggest singles from 2004, considering, as the title implies, the compilation draws from one of the world's largest record companies. What's more impressive is the way the collection rambles across the spectrum of pop, presenting its selections with the artistry of a crafted mixtape, as opposed to a haphazard assembly of hit songs.
UNIVERSAL SMASH HITS 3 opens with chart-topping hip-hop of many hues, shifting from the fierce "Lean Back" by Terror Squad to the Senegalese-flavored soulfulness of "Locked Up" by Akon to Juvenile's smooth "Slow Motion." Midway through the set, SMASH HITS 3 drops in a couple of lesser-known, but strong, rap singles in B.A.M.A.'s Lynyrd Skynyrd-sampling "Sweet Home Al" and Nitty's raw "Nasty Girl," before switching to pop with Lindsay Lohan and Nina Sky. The coolest one-two punch of the collection comes near the end, when Baby Bash's excellent ballad, the genre-bending "Suga Suga," is followed by the gender-bending Scissor Sisters' 1970s-throwback number "Take Your Mama," one of the most overlooked singles of the year.