Kidz Bop Ultimate Hits

Personnel: Gary Philips (guitar, keyboards, drum programming); Alexander Almgren (keyboards, drum programming); John Deaderick, Peter Levin (keyboards).
Audio Mixer: Gary Philips.
While the Kidz Bop series has had enough volumes to qualify for an Ultimate Hits collection, this one is a bit deceptive: instead of going all the way back to its beginnings in 2002, the set features highlights from the volumes sung by the late-2000s/early-2010s Kidz Bop Kids -- Charisma, Hanna, Elijah, Eva, and Steffan -- and thus features only songs from those years. Regardless, it still boasts versions of chart-topping songs such as "Tik Tok," "Dynamite," "California Gurls," "Hey Soul Sister," and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" done in classic Kidz Bop fashion. Considering that this collection is aimed at kids familiar with these songs and not necessarily the pop hits from a decade before, Ultimate Hits' exclusions might be more savvy than incomplete. ~ Heather Phares