Now That's What I Call Music! 18 CD

Audio Mixers: Eric Valentine ; Andy Wallace.
Arranger: Lenny Kravitz.
The compilers of the popular and timely Now series have done a much better job with the 18th volume when compared to the 17th, since most of the songs here had major chart presence and fairly represent the artists. The series has been guilty more than once of bypassing artists' initial-impact hits in favor of inferior, out-of-character, less-popular follow-up singles, but this volume avoids that slip in most cases. Chingy's sleepwalking "Balla Baby" and a couple other suspect choices aside, the songs show the artists in top form, whether it's U2's "Vertigo," Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot," John Legend's "Used to Love U," Ashanti's "Only U," Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?," or Keith Urban's sweet "You're My Better Half" -- the last one being a great relief after the alt-metal drama dips in the latter half of the program. Frickin' A's faithful (if synth-laden) punk-pop cover of Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl," likely to be heard in at least four teen movies by the end of 2006, is a wild card here, given the nod well before it had a chance to saturate airwaves from coast to coast. Perhaps an offshoot series titled Maybe in a Month or Two should be set up. ~ Andy Kellman
The 18th offering in the NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! compilation series offers one-stop shopping of the Billboard charts circa late 2004 and early 2005. Pop may be the engine that drives this machine, but R&B/hip-hop makes a greater mark on NOW 18, despite the inclusion of bubblegum icons Lindsay Lohan (the melodramatic "Rumors") and Skye Sweetnam ("Tangled Up in Me"). Here Destiny's Child rolls slow with T.I. and Lil Wayne on the laid-back "Soldier," Snoop Dogg hits a mellow groove with Pharrell on "Drop It Like It's Hot," and Kanye West protege John Legend croons his way through the soulful "Used to Love U." On the rock side, there are songs by U2 and Lenny Kravitz, along with a Frickin' A cover of Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl." Aside from Keith Urban's moon-eyed "You're My Better Half," country fans get an odd nod with the unlikely team-up of Nashville superstar Tim McGraw and hip-hop's Nelly, whose "Over & Over" strikes a good balance between a light hip-hop beat and a hint of twangy guitar.