Kidz Bop 28

Personnel: Gary Philips (guitar, piano, drum programming); Gene M. Cuatt (guitar, drum programming); John Deaderick (piano, organ); Alexander Almgren (piano, drum programming).
Audio Mixer: Gary Philips.
Recording information: West Valley Studios; Wild Honey Studios.
Editors: Alexander Almgren; Gary Philips.
On their 28th collection, the ever-changing crew of Kidz Bop Kids take a crack at the pop hits of late 2014 and early 2015. Although the project claims to be sung "by kids for kids," the Kidz Bop versions are usually quite close in tone, style, and production value to the adult versions, making it tough to find the appeal. On this collection, the Kidz get their mojo on with Ariana Grande's "Love Me Harder," dish out some young sass on Meghan Trainor's "Lips Are Movin," and continue to plow through One Direction's catalog with "Steal My Girl." There are also songs by Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Mark Ronson, and Selena Gomez, among others. ~ Timothy Monger