Now That's What I Call Music! 17

 Review

Common Sense Media says

You've heard it all before.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this includes edited versions of recent hits for younger ears. This time the producers seem to be going for a little more variety.


What's the story?

By the time NOW! 17 rolls around to track 12, the overwrought "Angels," in which Jessica Simpson's voice tries to approximate a breathy, nasal melody, you'll be longing for the oomph of earlier tracks by the Beastie Boys, the Black Eyed Peas, or even Lil' Flip and Lea's sexist and sexy duet, "Sunshine." Like the other Now That's What I Call Music! compilations, #17 presents 20 recent hits with little thought to interesting sequencing and very few surprises.


Is it any good?

 

Musical high points are not necessarily the "safest" songs on the CD. The Jadakiss track, "Why," offers vivid social commentary and exquisite production along with some strong imagery. The next track, "Locked Up" by Akon with Styles P., an interesting morality tale about incarceration, sounds thin and tedious by comparison.

The mix of songs aims for more musical variety than on the past few in the series, and that's NOW 17's strongest point. Along with the usual intense sequence of hip-hop followed by limpid pop, there's hard rock ("Cold" by Crossfade) and some interesting songs by Switchfoot, Finger Eleven, Franz Ferdinand, and Bowling for Soup. Gretchen Wilson and Keith Urban deliver a strong country-rock finale.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the broad variety in this mix. Did you discover any new (to you) songs that you like?


This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Get another cd....
Franz Ferdinand is a great band... I feel sorry they have to be put on one of these compilations of bland music. Well atleast they are getting recognized, the only band on the album that really deserves any of the credit they are getting.

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This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Artist:Various Artists
Release date:November 9, 2004
Label:Capitol
Genre:Compilation
Parental advisory:No

This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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