Hot Hits [2 CD] - Countdown Mix Masters

Hot Hits is another fun release from the Countdown Mix Masters, another one of the many names used by Madacy Records for their revolving crew of session musicians. The goal of this album is simple: collect together several huge hits from whatever time period it is covering and have the session musicians cover them. These covers are almost note-perfect imitations of the original material, with the major difference being the singer. Where this can work against the Countdown Mix Masters (and when it does it is really funny), this time around they get it right. Most of these songs sound very much like the originals, and the singers can at least hit the notes that the original artists could. From the Santana cover that kicks off the disc to the Jennifer Lopez, Will Smith, and Ricky Martin covers that follow, this album is one of the more commendable releases in the Madacy series. The only real problem is that none of these musicians can give the songs the power they originally had. The only exception to this might be the cover of Jessica Simpson's "I Wanna Love You Forever," which is almost better because the anonymous singer has a much harder time hitting the notes. But outside of that small moment of improvement, this album can only be recommended to those who honestly do not care who performs these songs, but still want the music. Anyone else will either be disappointed or will find it funny. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide