Pre-loaded with a couple well-established (meaning played into the ground) hits from 2007 --
Flo Rida and
T-Pain's "Low,"
Trey Songz and
Plies' "Can't Help But Wait" -- the soundtrack to Step Up 2: The Streets is, unsurprisingly, a mixed bag of pop-oriented rap and R&B featuring second-rate tracks from well-known stars (
Missy Elliott,
Enrique Iglesias,
T-Pain), follow-ups from relative newcomers attempting to maintain and increase momentum (
Cherish,
Cassie), and a whole bunch of up-and-comers with early material (
KC,
Bayje,
Brit & Alex,
Sophia Fresh). Among the new tracks, there's a handful of highlights: "Is It You" is
Cassie's most "pop" song yet, as light as a feather, reliant mostly on a simple combination of handclaps and a fuzzy guitar; with "Killa,"
Cherish seem OK with continuing to invite
Ciara comparisons, though it's their best track yet; "Say Cheese," from in-heat-but-collected R&B singer
KC, is the disc's most pleasant surprise, a
Danja production providing several subtle twists and turns (and just the right amount of weirdness). ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide