Totally Hits 2004 covers hit singles from late 2003 and early 2004, 20 songs of varying popularity and quality. This wasn't one of the best periods for pop music during the early 21st century -- the charts were dominated by mannered punk and nu-metal bands and generic hip-hop, along with sensitive singer/songwriters and post-teen pop dance-pop -- but there were a few highlights, some of which are captured here. Chief among these is
Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," which may be a shameless fusion of
the White Stripes and
the Strokes, but it's an undeniably catchy, memorable rock song, followed by
Kelis' sexy electro-robotic "Milkshake." After that, there are a few good mainstream pop and rap tunes --
Dido's adult pop "White Flag,"
Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name,"
J-Kwon's woozy "Tipsy," and "Invisible," the best track from
Clay Aiken's cheerfully square album
Measure of a Man. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine