The songs on this album are well arranged, so if you’re lulled into somnolence by Brit band Blue’s romantic ballad “The Best in Me”, Kylie Minogue wakes you up with her disco-driver “Love At First Sight”, and Jennifer Love Hewitt takes a breather from motion pictures to move music with her debut “Barenaked”, an effusive, leisurely piece.
Britney Spears moves over from sugarplum to saucy with her heavily synthesized “Boys”, and Christina Aguilera, not to be outdone, churns out a similarly textured “AM To PM”. Club hit “Days Go By” is my favourite, a metered, Daft Punk-esque spinner, while Beenie Man (featuring Janet Jackson) provides R&B relief with their “Feel It Boy”.
Moby goes mechanical with “Extreme Ways” - interrupted by spasmodic space sounds - only a couple of notches below trance, while Coldplay seems to be getting to where Moby’s heading, though “In My Place” drops the overdose of synthesizers to park on more sedate, pure planes. David Usher’s “Black Black Heart” is an ace track, taking rock to higher ground with lofty arias. Lenny Kravitz, once invincible, has resorted to clichés in his “If I Could Fall In Love”, a watery number (literally and figuratively) that sounds no different from countless rock numbers you’ve heard before. Norah Jones is here to stay with “Come Away”, and Westlife’s “World Of Our Own” is properly pop. All in all, a good collection.
This article was first published on 20 Feb 2003.