Songs from Dawson's Creek, Vol. 2

1	I Think I'm in Love With You / Jessica Simpson 3:18
2	Crazy for This Girl / Evan & Jaron 3:22
3	Respect / Train 3:26
4	I'm Gonna Make You Love Me / The Jayhawks 3:42
5	Givin' up on You / Lara Fabian 4:32
6	Superman / Five for Fighting 3:42
7	If I Am / Nine Days 3:59
8	Never Saw Blue Like That / Shawn Colvin 4:38
9	I Think God Can Explain / Splender 3:56
10	Teenage Dirtbag / Wheatus 4:03
11	Broken Boy / Michal 3:54
12	Just Another / Pete Yorn 3:13
13	Show Me Heaven / Jessica Andrews 4:20
14	Daydream Believer / Mary Beth Maziarz 3:32

Barnes & Noble

As teen drama Dawson's Creek enters its fourth season, the show's producers have assembled a follow-up to the popular Songs from Dawson's Creek, which introduced teen fans to Paula Cole, Sixpence None the Richer, and Sophie B. Hawkins. Comprised of predominantly newer artists, Volume 2 is sure to strike a chord with the show's loyal viewers. There's a little something for everybody: Total Request Live fanatics can drink in Jessica Simpson's smash pop hit "I Think I'm in Love with You," scruffy skate-punks will head-bop to Wheatus' punk-pop gem "Teenage Dirtbag," and alt-country fans can hum along to the Jayhawks' jangly "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me." Other standout tracks include "Givin' up on You" from dramatic chanteuse Lara Fabian, the infectious power-pop nugget "If I Am" from Nine Days, the soaring "Broken Boys" from onetime classical music prodigy Michal, the ambient folk ditty "Just Another" from Paul Westerberg sound-alike Pete Yorn, and a solo piano cover of the Monkees' hit "Daydream Believer" by newcomer Mary Beth Maziarz that's sure to give Vonda Shepherd a run for her money. The wide range of music on this sequel is sure to please Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and the rest of the gang -- not to mention their fans. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

Songs From Dawson's Creek, paced by the already established hits "I Don't Want to Wait" (Paula Cole) and "Kiss Me" (Sixpence None the Richer), not to mention its association with the popular television series, then nearing the end of its second season, was a gold-selling Top Ten hit in the spring of 1999. A year and a half later, Dawson's Creek was still leading off the WB network's Wednesday night lineup, and Songs From Dawson's Creek, Vol. 2 was released the day before the fourth season premiere. Even more than its predecessor, the album is basically a Sony label sampler, baited with a couple of familiar songs (notably, lead-off track "I Think I'm in Love With You" by Jessica Simpson), but primarily devoted to gaining exposure for developing acts on the rosters of Sony's various imprints. Among the likelier ones are a few performers already gaining attention for their debut efforts: Evan and Jaron's "Crazy for This Girl" was getting airplay on adult contemporary radio, and Wheatus had scored a modern rock radio hit with "Teenage Dirtbag" by the album's release date, while Nine Days' "If I Am" was the follow-up single to their hit "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)," and Lara Fabian's "Givin' Up on You" was drawn from the debut album that had previously spawned the dance hit "I Will Love Again." And not every participant was brand new, Shawn Colvin and the Jayhawks counting as veterans.

Even if it seems that the album contains one track from practically every new album Sony was promoting in the fall of 2000, there is some justification for the statement in the company's press release accompanying it that "the songs were chosen for their... relationship to the themes of the show." Over and over, the songs express youthful attitudes in all their earnestness and naiveté. Love is eternal: "I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with you," sing evan and jaron; the Jayhawks add, "We're gonna stay together for a million years"; and Nine Days reassure, "I will never leave you." Five for Fighting, meanwhile, depicts teen angst in "Superman," plaintively whining, "It's not easy to be me." Even Wheatus, with a good deal less sincerity, sets "Teenage Dirtbag" at the prom, and Mary Beth Maziarz's cover of the Monkees' "Daydream Believer" refers to "a homecoming queen."

The music for these songs tends toward catchy, guitar-dominated pop/rock, though the compilers, true to the TV show's early theme, "I Don't Want to Wait," have included several piano ballads with female vocals, no doubt hoping that "Givin' Up on You," "Daydream Believer," or Colvin's "Never Saw Blue Like That" can replace it in listeners' hearts. And maybe one of them will, but if not, there are other commercial possibilities here and plenty of music that's right for the Dawson's Creek demographic. (One of a dwindling number of releases with CD-ROM multimedia content, the CD features a screensaver and an uplink to the Dawson's Creek website.) William Ruhlmann