Yet more jammin' courtesy of ESPN and Tommy Boy records

Ah yes my friends. My collection o' Jock albums did not end at Jock Jams 2, oh no. After the first two collections of (for the most part) funky, fun, and upbeat tunes I was undeniabley hooked. Unfortunately, I noticed that the quality began to go down with JJ3. I noticed in the store actually. The cool thing is that there's more music, and nobody can ever complain about that with the prices of CDs as they are. The uncool thing is that the music they replaced those cute ESPNisms with isn't really at par with what I'd begun to expect from this set.

On the previous 2 CDs, you could probably recognize every song, at least vaguely. If you didn't recognize the name or artist, hearing the song usually did it. (At least if you listen to a decent amount of dance music.) When I looked at the back of 3, I recognized most of the songs. But not all of them. Now, don't get me wrong. Often tunes that aren't exactly mainstream are better than those that are, if only by virtue of the fact that we don't hear them every time we go to a club or turn on the radio. There were one or two on the previous CDs that turned out to be really great despite the fact that they weren't as well known. However the unrecognizable tunes on JJ3 aren't all so blessed. Some are really cool, such as Robi Rob's Boriqua Anthem. Others fall short of what I was hoping for when I purchased the album.

Despite this, JJ3 has enough fun stuff to make it worth owning. If you have the first 2, then definately spring for the third, because for the most part it's a nice compliment to the entire collection. Still lots of music, all upbeat and fun. Unfortunately the cheerleaders are back. (As I mentioned in my previous reviews, cheerleading is just not my thing.) They don't appear very often. As I mentioned earlier, it seems as if there's more music here. I miss the cute ESPNisms though! There's only one here and it's not as memorable as the others. Of course there's that one song by KC and the Sunshine Band that just doesn't quite fit. But I have grown used to that by now and take its presence with a grain of salt. The Jock Jam megamix makes up for it. Speaking of the songs, here are the ones that appear:

1. It's Awesome Baby- Dick Vitale (the sole ESPNism!)
2. Tribal Dance- 2 Unlimited
3. Ready To Go- Republica
4. I Like It Like That- Tito Nieves
5. C'Mon & Ride It (The Train)- Quad City DJ'S
6. Let's Go
7. Da' Dip- Freak Nasty
8. Jump- The Movement
9. R.O.W.D.I.E- the cheerleaders
10. Jellyhead- Crush
11. No Diggity- Blackstreet
12. The Chant
13. Let Me Clear My Throat- DJ Kool
14. That's The Way I Like It- KC & The Sunshine Band
15. Supersonic- Sabrina Sang
16. Fired Up- Funky Green Dogs
17. Robi Rob's Boriqua Anthem- C & C Music Factory
18. Don't Stop Moving- Livin' Joy
19. Don't Stop, Get It, Get It!- the cheerleaders
20. Cotton Eye Joe- Rednex
21. The Jock Jam Megamix
22. The Chicken Dance- Ray Castoldi

In conclusion, I don't really think this CD is anything special. Many of the songs are easily found on better dance compilations. Honestly, unless you have the set, it's probably not buying. On the other hand, it isn't bad. The Jock Jams megamix and a couple other songs that aren't so easily found make it worth owning, if you collect dance music. I wouldn't begin a collection with this though, only supplement it. Chances are the songs will appear quickly enough anyway, via said other compilations.