MTV 2 has done it again.
Last year, MTV 2 released volume one of MTV 2 Handpicked, a collection that listeners would want to hear over and over again. This year is no different.
Volume two includes a variety of artists such as The Vines, Jimmy Eat World, Howie Day and Jack Johnson. All 14 songs are worth listening to and, together, make for a great album.
The album opens up with the now highly popular song “Get Free” off of the Highly Evolved CD from The Vines. Anyone who listens to the radio at least once in a while must be familiar with this band. The song has a lot of energy behind it and is hard not to like.
One of the many standout tracks on this CD is provided by OK Go with their song “Get Over It.” This is the first single off of the four-member group from Chicago’s self-titled album. It has a great hook that draws the listener in and keeps their attention for the duration of the song. They have the potential to be a band that people will start to hear a lot more from.
Yet another positive on this album are the versions of John Mayer’s “No Such Thing” and Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” “No Such Thing” is a live recording, where as “The Middle” is acoustic. Both provide a nice break from the typical radio cuts that are so frequently played. These two tunes are improvements of already good listening material.
Howie Day’s song “Ghost” is another track that anyone who pops the CD into their player will feel the need to play multiple times. Day, a Maine native, is 21 years old, which is something you’d never guess from hearing his songs. He writes his own music and has a mature sound that is impossible to dislike. The buzz is already evident for Day after releasing his debut album Australia. In 2001, it earned him the Boston Music Award for “Best Debut Album by a Singer-Songwriter” and even further recognition in 2002 for “Best Male Singer Songwriter.” With the start that Day is already off to at such a young age, combined with his undeniable talent, he is sure to become a big name in music.
This album is full of artists who may not be on the tongues of avid music fans now but may be before too long. New musicians such as Norah Jones with her jazz-like voice on “Don’t Know Why” and the English band Doves with “Caught by the River” are making their presence known. And, both are artists who people will want to know due to mixtures of unique styles and music.
MTV 2 Handpicked Volume 2 is an album with something for everyone. It provides music fans with one CD of 14 different songs that are all amazing pieces of music in their own rights. Anyone who likes to be exposed to new music should go pick up this CD. Chances are that you will find something to listen to that is just what you’ve been waiting to hear.
