Since its inauguration in the early 1980s, the Now That's What I Call Music compilations have provided a constant barometer of the tastes of the British music-buying public. As such, Now 46 is no exception, with a great cross section of chart topping tracks. On the pop front, there are such luminaries as S-Club 7, Steps, Britney Spears, Kylie and Gabrielle to provide some great summery sounds. Meanwhile, on the rock front, Coldplay, Richard Ashcroft and The Bloodhound Gang are on hand to show the diversity of people's preferences. On the dance side of things, there's a good spread of the two contemporary passions on the club floor: trance and two-step. Trance is represented by Darude's "Sandstorm", along with York's revamping of Chris Rea's "On The Beach". On a two-step tip, there are essential cuts from MJ Cole, MC Neat & DJ Luck and the awesome stylings of The B15 Project on the superb "Girls Like Us". All in all, for a pop music fan, this is an essential purchase. --Helen Marquis