Soundtrack | VH1 LOVE & HIP (EXP) | CD

Illustrator: Luke Lucas.
Love & Hip Hop: Music from the Series rounds up a small fraction of the songs featured throughout episodes of the popular VH1 series' first three seasons. Released the day after the airing of the season three finale, it's heavily weighted toward previously available material from established artists. In that respect, it functions a bit like a Now, That's What I Call R&B and Rap-type compilation -- albeit one that draws from the previous few years rather than months. In some cases, it favors choice album cuts above charting hits; August Alsina, who had several songs serve as dramatic backdrops, is represented with the ballad "No Love," while "Sucka for You" was a deep highlight of Anthony Hamilton's 2011 album Back to Love. Among the charted singles here are Trey Songz's "Heart Attack," K. Michelle's "Can't Raise a Man," and Ne-Yo's "Lazy Love." Iggy Azalea's rowdy "F*** Love" and Matisyahu's uplifting "Live Like a Warrior" add energy but not quality. "DNA," from Bad Boy hit man and series star Stevie J., who is joined by Snoop Dogg -- seems like a bonus track. It's unfortunate that none of those slots went to Daley. Still, it's evident that a lot of thought was put into the first three seasons' music, from the inclusion of a shadowy ballad from independent artist Janine and the Mixtape to a highlight from Common's Nobody's Smiling -- an album that was less than a month old when this set surfaced. ~ Andy Kellman

• Format: CD
• Genre: R&B
• Released: 8/19/2014
• Released: 08/19/2014