Now That's What I Call Music Vol.57 - Various Artists > Reviews > Now thats what i call a bargain

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	something for all
Disadvantages:	none that i know of

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Now that’s what I call music 57, omg I can remember when it was just, ‘Now that’s what I call music’ before the age of cd’s. I can’t believe they have made 57 of these, I feel so old and I think I’ve probably got the original cassette somewhere in a box collecting dust. So anyone in their 30’s will have been bought up on this generation of compilation albums. I must admit I don’t normally get the urge to buy albums, mainly because nothing has caught my eye. But I do like a lot of the singles that are in the charts recently so I was happy to buy this album when I saw it in my local Asda priced at £14.97. But is usually available in all outlets due to its popularity.

The album consists of 2 cd’s. Disc one seems to be aimed more at the pop & dance where as disc two is more soulful to rock. I know strange combination but it works as disc two is my personal favourite.
The packaging cover is a water blue back ground with what looks like multi coloured eggs all over. On top of this is the classic ‘Now that’s what I call music 57’ logo in silver writing with a raised red effect behind the wording.
The back page lists all 44 chart hits disc one having 23 and disc two having only 21.
Compilations albums are basically albums with a little bit of everything and everybody on them. You may have heard of the other leading name in this area of music, Hits 58 is the most recent one.

The songs, now there are a lot of these so you may want to skip this bit. So I’ll keep it brief just mentioning the artist, title and a little description/opinion.

Compact disc one:

1. Britney Spears – Toxic – Happy pop, the one where she’s on a plane, most men know this one. He he.
2. Kelis – Milkshake – I like this one, good one to dance or sing to, while being slightly raunchy.
3. jamelia – Thank You – soulful/R&B, ideal for the independent lady, life after a bad relationship song.
4. Kylie Minogue – Red Blooded Woman – pop princess not one of her best but men liked the video.
5. Justin Timberlake – I’m lovin’ it – I don’t like this one mainly because all I can think of is Macky D’s.
6. Enrique Iglesias feat. Kelis – Not in love – usual Enrique sound but a different sound to Kelis. It’s pop meets love song excellent song.
7. The Black Eyed Peas – Shut up – brilliant tune everyone knows this one.
8. 2 Play feat. Raghav & Jucxi – So confused – happy R&B good driving tune
9. Beanie Man feat. Ms. Thing – Dude – pure grind your bits tune
10. Peter Andre – Mysterious girl – didn’t like it the first time around, but it’s a summer tune.
11. DJ Casper – Cha Cha Slide – if you’ve been abroad you won’t have missed this one. It is one of those dances that anyone can follow no matter how drunk you are. Good fun.
12. Girls Aloud – Jump – Disco/pop version of a classic
13. Boogie Pimps – Somebody to Love – a good dance remix but I still prefer the original version.
14. Atomic Kitten feat. Kool & The Gang – Ladies Night – nicely done disco version of the classic. Ideal for any girl’s night.
15. Emma – I’ll be There – Easy to listen to song reminds me of the sixties somehow. Not a favourite of mine.
16. Sophie Ellis-Bextor – I Wont Change You – middle of the road pop song
17. Scissor Sisters – Comfortably Numb – A refreshingly new twist to dance, has to be heard as I’m unable to describe this one. It’s a grow on you type of song but very good. Imagine dance with the voice style of the Bee Gees.
18. Deepest Blue – Give it Away – a cute up beat pop tune.
19. LMC vs. U2 – Take me to the clouds above – cant make my mind up on this one, I love U2 but not this dance remix version.
20. Special D – Come With Me – Dance tune that reminds me of the smurfs, not a favourite.
21. Ultrabeat – Feelin’ Fine – mellow dance
22. Ferry Consten – Rock Your Body Rock – bassy dance tune

I told you it was long, and that’s only one disc, number two coming up so you may wish to skip over again.

Compact disc two: this one is my favourite cd out of the two, especially while driving.

1. Will Young - Leave Right Now – It’s a lovely song … that’s it.
2. Katie Melua – The closest Thing To Crazy – very relaxing soulful song with a little oomph – love it
3. Norah June – Sunrise – pure relaxation song – I love this one too. Excellent to unwind to after a mad day at work.
4. Blue – Breathe Easy – a lovely love song meets piano ballad/pop
5. Kelly Osbourne feat. Ozzy Osbourne – I like this one, it’s a bit ballad crossed with soft rock. Strange combination but it works.
6. Blink 182 – I Miss You – another typical comical rock classic from these guys you’ll love it
7. Busted – Who’s David – young rock song the kids love them.
8. Fountains of Wayne – Stacey’s Mom – I class this is funky funny rock, cheerful sing-a-long, when no one looking that is. It’s my age hehe.
9. Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out – starts off with a guitar, drum and solo voice then it changes into heavy guitar/drum and has the most catchy rock tune I’ve come across in along time. Brilliantly put together.
10. Alistair Griffin – Bring It On – mediocre pop
11. Sugababes – Too Lost In You – A love song with beef. You can’t help singing to this one.
12. VS – Love You Like Mad – Has a summer feel to it with love meets R&B.
13. Joss Stone – Fell In Love With A Boy – Husky soul that stirs your emotions mixed with a bit of funk. Another favourite.
14. FYA feat. Smujji – Must Be Love – I think this would come under dance meets reggae.
15. N.E.R.D – She Wants To Move – I love this one, just makes you want to dance. I think it’s classed as an R&B dance song.
16. Jamie Cullum – Frontin’ (live) – this man has updated Jazz & Soul to reach a new generation. I’ve heard him called the new Frank Sinatra in trainers.
17. Keane – Somewhere Only We Know – If you like Coldplay then you’ll love this tune as they have the same style.
18. Snow Patrol – Run – in the old days you would class this as heavy drum meets brit pop. Great to drive to.
19. Alex Parks – Maybe That’s What It Takes – from fame academy – a kind of husky soft rock I love this one.
20. Ronan Keating – She Believes (In Me) – soulful romantic ballad.
21. Michelle – All This Time – This is the song that won her the competition, uplifting sing-a-long song.

Please remember I’m not a music critic these are only my opinions and categorisations.

Is it value for money?
Well look at it this way if you pay £14.97 for 44 singles. That’s £0.34 per single. Not bad compared to an average of £3.00 to £3.50 per single when in the charts. If you purchased 4 singles at £3.50 it would cost you £14.00. So if you look at the list above and see 4 songs you would buy …… you do the maths. This is the reason I buy them anyway.

Negatives, there’s always a few songs on these albums that are terrible. So you either have to listen to them or keep pressing fast forward but it’s a small price to pay.

Final words

I love this edition of the NOW range. Yes I would recommend this album to anyone wanting to listen to something different. For what you pay you get a great range of music. There’s something for everybody and I find it goes down well on car journeys. No more arguing over what to listen to.

Visit www.nowmusic.com for more information