Down to Earth

Down to Earth

1	Glitches / Amel Larrieux 4:05
2	Just Another Girl / Monica 3:23
3	Can You Tell It's Me / Ginuwine 4:00
4	What If I Was White / Eminem 3:37
5	Never Let Go / 3LW 3:45
6	Someone to Love You / Ruff Endz 5:35
7	Gin and Juice / Snoop Dogg 3:41
8	With You / Son by 4 4:20
9	I Think I Like You / Jordan Brown 3:22
10	Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother / Jagged Edge 3:46
11	Dreamed You / Jagged Edge 3:50
12	One Time / Jill Scott 3:59
13	Angel / Kelly Rowland 3:36
14	Thug Music Play On / Bone Thugs-N-Harmony 3:35
15	Everything Is Everything / Lauryn Hill 3:57

Barnes & Noble

In Down to Earth -- a 2001 remake of 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan, also redone in '78 by Warren Beatty -- comedian Lance Barton (Chris Rock) is given a second chance at life after he goes to heaven before his time. The only glitch is that Rock, a young African-American man, must return to earth as a rich but elderly white man. Although most of the songs featured on the Down to Earth soundtrack -- except the humorous "What if I Was White," featuring rappers Sticky Fingaz and Eminem -- have little to do with the film's theme, the disc does feature the heavenly sounds of some of the new millennium's hottest R&B and hip-hop artists, including Monica on the danceable single "Just Another Girl," Ginuwine on the club shaker "Can't You Tell It's Me," and Jill Scott and newcomer Eric Roberson on the jazzy duet "One Time." In addition to those new songs, this entertaining collection is bolstered by favorites from Snoop Dogg ("Gin and Juice") and Lauryn Hill ("Everything Is Everything"). While the movie Down to Earth may keep you rolling in the aisles, the soundtrack will have you dancing in the street. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

For the most part, the Down to Earth soundtrack provides a revealing look at the ever-trendy contemporary R&B landscape circa early 2001. The roster of featured artists won't astound you, though a few artists such as Monica, Genuwine, Jagged Edge, and Lauryn Hill obviously stand out as established artists. In addition to these artists, who all turn in impressive songs, some of the more surprising efforts actually come from less-established artists such as Jill Scott and Kelly Rowland (of Destiny's Child) -- two artists deservedly on the brink of pop-crossover success at the time of this album's release. When you break these songs down and listen to them individually, this album is an incredible collection of contemporary R&B; however, a sporadic infusion of rap ruins the album from being a marvelously engaging listen from beginning to end. The album-opening Scott Storch-produced contribution from the Roots and Amel Larrieux, "Glitches," is a welcome addition to the album and fits in rather well with the successive songs by Monica and Ginuwine. Unfortunately, the other rap songs ruin the album's continuity: Sticky Fingaz and Eminem's "What If I Was White" comes across as incredibly distasteful and ill-conceived in its attempt to be comedic and without any memorable hooks to propel it beyond these flaws; similarly, Bone Thugs' "Thug Music Play On" isn't any better, even as it tries assimilate its thug themes into the album's underlying sense of soulful motif with its employment of vocal harmony; finally, Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice" is at least a classic song, but still is obviously out of place. As mentioned previously, for the most part, this soundtrack is a truly wonderful sample of well-written contemporary R&B songs, only plagued by its interruptive rap moments. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi