Reviewed by Paddy Hudspith

The ubiquitous 'WOW' brand - for the uninitiated, a CCM version of the seemingly never-ending 'Now (That's What I Call Music)' series, finds another method of compiling popular tunes alongside their roughly annual (since 1995) hits, worship and gospel collections. This time, it's a 'best-of-the-best' approach, as 'WOW #1s 2011' offers a two-disc selection of 30 "top radio songs from 2005-2010." As seems to be the trend with 'WOW' offerings, disc one tends to feature more long-standing soft pop artists, most of whom have featured on just about every 'WOW Hits' collection since the early years (Michael W Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Phillips Craig & Dean, Third Day). Disc two pitches a little more to the left, taking a generally rockier and/or more alternative approach with the newer (Sanctus Real, Skillet, BarlowGirl) and newest (Britt Nicole, The Afters, Francesca Battistelli) hitmakers on the scene. Is this an essential release? Depends on what you're after, really; if you regularly pick up 'WOW Hits' my guess is that you won't need to bother with this. If you want an overview of the most recent North American CCM classics (a title you can easily apply to the likes of Steven Curtis Chapman's "Cinderella" and Chris Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God") in one easy place, then you 'WOW #1s 2011' is probably for you.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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With over 17 million units sold and with great momentum coming off WOW Hits 2011, the brand of WOW is bigger and better than ever!

The WOW partnership is proud to announce the release of WOW #1s, a collection of number one radio hits spanning 2005-2010.