Day 55 brings us to Now! #55, which came out on 21st July 2003.
Time for another round of summer hits!
Track 1: R Kelly – Ignition [Remix]
I’ve not thought about this one for a while. It was a big summer hit and was played in all the clubs in Zante when I was there with my mates. I still quite like the tune.
Track 2: 50 Cent – In Da Club
A classic. Love this one – it still gets stuck in my head every time it’s my birthday.
Track 3: Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River
Nice tune, great epic atmosphere. Awesome track.
Track 4: Wayne Wonder – No Letting Go
Oh, it’s this one. The tune’s pretty dull, but it’s got some good instrumentals going on.
Track 5: Javine – Real Things
Nice epic blaring intro, quite like it.
Track 6: Kym Marsh – Come On Over
Very bland tune – not my kind of thing.
Track 7: Girls Aloud – No Good Advice
The tune and lyrics on this are really poor quality and awkward. It sounds like it was written by a twelve-year-old. Just awful.
Track 8: t.A.T.u – Not Gonna Get Us
Dull, repetitive follow-up to All The Things She Said. Should have been a one-hit wonder.
Track 9: S Club 8 – Fool No More
So after S Club 7 changed their name to S Club (see yesterday’s review), S Club Juniors then went and changed their name to S Club 8, presumably ’cause they weren’t so junior anymore. Confused? I certainly am.
This track is a dance track, but the vocals still sound pretty kiddie to me.
Track 10: Fast Food Rockers – Fast Food Song
We used to sing this daft kids’ song in the church hall at Girl Guides meetings back in the mid-’90s. I have no idea why anyone thought it would make a good pop song. Really makes me hungry though.
Track 11: XTM, DJ Chucky and Annia – Fly On The Wings Of Love
Highly irritating vocals, cheesy tune, dodgy misplaced pan pipe instrumentals over a trance beat. Appalling track.
Track 12: Lisa Scott-Lee – Lately
Uninspired vocals, bland tune. Not keen on this.
Track 13: One True Voice – Shakespeare’s (Way With) Words
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Too saccharine for me, but I suppose the tune’s alright.
Track 14: Bhangra Knights and Husan – Husan
Good tune, good beat – quite like this one.
Track 15: Tomcraft – Loneliness
Good head-nodder, very danceable. I remember this being number one for quite a few weeks.
Track 16: Tiga and Jake Shears – Hot In Herre
Fairly pointless cover of the Nelly track, which was only a year old itself at this point (see Now! #52). Jake Shears’ voice doesn’t suit the track at all, and all the fun is missing from the original.
Track 17: Lisa Maffia – All Over
There’s some interesting lines, but the track’s a bit messy in general. I could do without the two rappers shouting over each other.
Track 18: Benny Benassi and The Biz – Satisfaction
The track’s tuneless and repetitive, but the video‘s a dubious classic (I was NOT a fan of the awful hiking-boots-with-stiletto-heels trend it encouraged, which has unfortunately made a few reappearances in the intervening time).
Track 19: Deepest Blue – Deepest Blue
Boring tune, uninspired dance beat.
Track 20: DJ Sammy – Sunlight
Good beat, but the tune’s very irritating.
Track 21: Plummet – Damaged
Interesting lines, but there’s not enough of a solid tune for me.
Track 22: Paul van Dyk and Hemstock & Jennings – Nothing But You
Generic dance track. The vocals are quite nice, but it’s nothing special.
Track 23: Scooter – The Night
The high-pitched vocals on the chorus give me a headache, but the rest of the track’s quite danceable if it’s post-2am.
Track 24: Robbie Williams – Come Undone
Nice tune, but it’s a bit slow for me.
Track 25: Busted – You Said No
Urgh, whiny can’t-handle-rejection lyrics *shudder*
Track 26: Daniel Bedingfield – I Can’t Read You
Bland acoustic-y track with an annoying chorus, not to my liking.
Track 27: Amy Studt – Misfit
Nice vocals, but the tune’s not interesting enough for me.
Track 28: The Thrills – Big Sur
It’s nice that the mid-’00s festival stalwart bands are starting to make appearances. My mate Gemma absolutely loved this lot.
The track’s a nice retro-sounding soft rock tune. Love that Monkees reference.
Track 29: Coldplay – God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
Nice atmosphere – this one’s got an okay tune.
Track 30: Appleton – Everything Eventually
Slow to start (as befits the title). The vocal intro is nice, but after that it gets a bit generic.
Track 31: David Sneddon – Don’t Let Go
Boring slow tune – not keen.
Track 32: Ronan Keating – The Long Goodbye
Like the piano intro, but the rest of the track’s too saccharine for me.
Track 33: Darius – Incredible (What I Meant To Say)
Irritating tune that sounds like pretty much everything else. Utterly forgettable.
Track 34: Feeder – Just The Way I’m Feeling
LOVED this track at the time and bought the single – it’s still a great tune. I must have gone to see Feeder about three times that year, as they played the Glasgow Barrowlands a lot at the time.
Track 35: Sinéad Quinn – What You Need Is
Love the rock-edged instrumentals – this is quite a good track.
Track 36: Melanie C – On The Horizon
Boring, irritating tune. I don’t find Melanie C’s second solo album anywhere near as good as her first.
Track 37: Emma Bunton – Free Me
I find the tune really irritating, and it’s too slow.
Track 38: S Club – Say Goodbye
Slow and saccharine. You might have guessed I’m not a fan.
Track 39: Sugababes – Shape
Love the Sting sample – great atmosphere on this one.
Track 40: Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams – Excuse Me Miss
Some interesting lines going on here – quite like it, but it could do with a bit more melody.
Track 41: Mariah Carey and Cam’Ron – Boy (I Need You)
Boring, messy, irritating. Next, please.
Track 42: Ja Rule and Ashanti – Mesmerise
Urgh. Uninspired, repetitive tune, and the rap is awful. Not my cup of tea at all.