Various Artists - Now, Vol. 7 (CD)

All Music Guide

The seventh volume of the U.S. version of the Now That's What I Call Music series continues to demonstrate how rock bands were less of a factor on the pop charts during the late '90s and early 2000s. Just like the sixth volume, the rock picks Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment," Aerosmith's "Jaded," Evan Jaron's "From My Head to My Heart," American HiFi's "Flavor of the Weak" are tacked onto the end, practically as an afterthought (a sequencing scheme that would, tellingly enough, carry through the 15th volume). None of these forgettable songs are highlights of the disc, going to show how "real musicians" are as capable of making disposable fluff as anybody else. Once again, the majority of the disc is divided between the oftintersecting worlds of rap, RB and dancepop. Nelly's "Ride Wit Me," Janet Jackson's "All for You," Eve's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," and Destiny's Child's "Survivor" are the most significant inclusions. Overall, this is not one of the strongest editions in the series. ...- Andy Kellman, All Music Guide Read more Less