The success of the Now series of compilations, which have responded to the decline of singles by providing radio fans with collections of near-contemporary hits, naturally has inspired imitators, and this album is one of them. Released by
Sony
, it is in fact a joint venture with
Universal
,
EMI
, and
Zomba
, and the only distinction between it and a Now disc is the more limited range of musical styles:
Off the Hook
is an
R&B
/
hip-hop
album. Among its 20 tracks, clocking in at over 79 minutes, are 13 songs that were still lodged in the
Billboard
Hot 100 and/or the Hot
Hip-Hop
Singles & Tracks chart on the day of release, although the selections date back as far as early 2001, the oldest tune being
India.Arie
's
"Video."
Only a few of these numbers were really big hits --
J-Lo
featuring
Ja Rule
"I'm Real"
(presented here in the "Murder Remix") was a number one
pop
hit, while
Mr. Cheeks
'
"Lights, Camera, Action"
topped the
charts and
Aaliyah
"More than a Woman,"
Mystikal
"Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall),"
Glenn Lewis
"Don't You Forget It,"
KeKe Wyatt
Avant
"Nothing in This World,"
and
Petey Pablo
"Raise Up"
(heard here in the "All Cities Remix") made the
Top Ten. The rest, except for the non-charting
"City High Anthem"
by
City High
, placed lower in the charts, although such major stars as
Jermaine Dupri
Jagged Edge
Janet Jackson
are included. The music ranges from hard-edged
rap
(from which the curse words have been surgically removed in the peculiar Swiss-cheese process known as the "clean edit") to creamy love
ballads
, giving a good sense of the sound of
contemporary R&B
, circa 2001-2002. Listening to
is like hearing nearly 80 minutes' worth of an
urban
radio station without the commercials. ~ William Ruhlmann