Various Artists
Totally Hits Volume 2
label: rhino records
released: 10.05.04
our score: 2.5 out of 5.0
Playing Catch Up to that "Other" Hits Collection
by: john f. reed
The Totally Hits collections are usually a great book-end companion to the Now That's What I Call Music's never ending volume of pop tunes. The new Totally Hits 2004 Volume 2 is decent grouping, but pales in comparison the
Totally Hits Volume 2004 Volume 1, which was released last spring.
Instead of some hot joints from Usher, we get Maroon 5 ('This Love) and rather than a good Outkast song (e.g. 'I Love The Way You Move) we get saddled with 'Roses. '
Not that there are not some great moments on the CD. Hot tunes from Twista ('Overnight Celebrity), Alicia Keys ('If I Ain't Got You), Mis-Teeq ('Scandalous) and Jet ('Cold Hard Bitch) would be worth the price, if we didn't have to skip over so much dross.
Avril Lavigne (who is she kidding proclaiming she is 'Punk?) bores with 'Don't Tell Me, as does Alanis Morissette on 'Everything (didn't she used to be interesting?). 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love by critics' darlings The Darkness is strangely out of place on the disc and does nothing more that prove that Jet is a far superior rock band.
If you do purchase this disc, then by all means, add the new Now That's What I Call Music Volume 17 to your cart. With such big in 2004 acts as Black Eyed Peas, Ciara, Beasties, Nelly and J-Kown, it has what Totally Hits is missing and make you feel as if you have a complete sampling of this year's pop.