Britney Spears
Photo: Jive

If the producers of the "American Pie 2" and "Rush Hour 2" soundtrack albums expect their records to duke it out alone for the top two album-chart positions when they debut July 31, they're forgetting that Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 7 hits the same week.

The latest installment of the blockbuster series features the usual rock, pop, R&B and rap radio faves as well as a few more obscure surprises. Destiny's Child leads off with "Survivor." Other pop tracks include Jennifer Lopez's "Play," Britney Spears' "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know," 'NSYNC's "This I Promise You" and a remix of the Backstreet Boys' "The Call." More rockin' numbers include Aerosmith's "Jaded," Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment" and American Hi-Fi's "Flavor of the Weak." On the hip-hop and R&B tip, Nelly punches in with "Ride Wit Me," Mystikal offers "Danger (Been So Long)," and 3LW provide "Playas Gon' Play." Collaborations include Eve and Gwen Stefani's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" and R. Kelly and Jay-Z's "Fiesta." The five more recent Now collections have all charted in the top three, and volumes five and six are still in the top 200. Now 6, which features 'NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye," Destiny's Child's "Independent Women Part 1" and Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me," debuted at #1 in April and is currently #15.

Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 7's track list, according to its publicist:

• Destiny's Child - "Survivor"
• Janet Jackson - "All for You"
• Samantha Mumba - "Baby, Come Over"
• Mandy Moore - "In My Pocket"
• Jennifer Lopez - "Play"
• Backstreet Boys - "The Call (Remix)"
• 3LW - "Playas Gon' Play"
• Nelly - "Ride Wit Me"
• Mystikal - "Danger (Been So Long)"
• R. Kelly with Jay-Z - "Fiesta"
• Eve with Gwen Stefani - "Let Me Blow Ya Mind"
• City High - "What Would You Do"
• Britney Spears - "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know"
• 'NSYNC - "This I Promise You"
• S Club 7 - "Never Had a Dream Come True"
• Lifehouse - "Hanging by a Moment"
• Aerosmith - "Jaded"
• Evan and Jaron - "From My Head to My Heart"
• American Hi-Fi - "Flavor of the Weak"

• Britney Spears
• Janet Jackson
• *NSYNC
• Aerosmith
• Destiny's Child

Coldplay
Photo: Capitol

Rockers Coldplay, Fuel and Incubus undergo a rite of pop passage as featured artists on Now That's What I Call Music! 6, joining such vets as Britney Spears, 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.

Due April 3 on Epic Records, Now 6 also includes singles from Shaggy, Evan and Jaron, Jennifer Lopez, U2 and other pop, hip-hop and rock artists.

Coldplay's "Yellow," Destiny's Child's "Independent Women Pt. 1" and the Backstreet Boys' "Shape of My Heart" are some of the hit tracks on Now 6, the follow-up to the compilation series' quadruple-platinum fifth volume.

Now That's What I Call Music!, America's top-selling compilation series, has sold more than 15 million copies of its five albums in the United States. Now 4 made history last July when it became the first nonsoundtrack compilation of previously released songs to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Now is based on an international series of the same name that has released more than 50 volumes in 20 years, selling more than 75 million albums. The compilation series, which releases a new volume approximately every six months, debuted in the States in 1998.

A joint effort by Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, the EMI Group and the Zomba Music Group, Now compilations are designed to expose new artists to music fans. According to an Epic spokesperson, consumer research indicates that more than 50 percent of those who purchase a Now album subsequently buy music from one of the featured artists.

Now That's What I Call Music! 6 track listing:

• Britney Spears, "Stronger"
• Samantha Mumba, "Gotta Tell You"
• 'NSYNC, "Bye Bye Bye"
• ATC, "Around the World (La La La La La)"
• Jennifer Lopez, "Love Don't Cost a Thing"
• Destiny's Child, "Independent Women Pt. 1"
• Shaggy, "It Wasn't Me"
• 3LW, "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)"
• K-Ci & JoJo, "Crazy"
• R. Kelly, "I Wish"
• Backstreet Boys, "Shape of My Heart"
• Evan and Jaron, "Crazy for This Girl"
• Coldplay, "Yellow"
• Lenny Kravitz, "Again"
• Fuel, "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)"
• Creed, "With Arms Wide Open"
• Incubus, "Drive"
• U2, "Beautiful Day"
• Everclear, "AM Radio"

• Shaggy
• Coldplay
• Incubus
• Fuel
• Britney Spears

Pop singer Samantha Mumba knows she's different, and that's just the way she likes it.

"I don't want to be another Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera," said Mumba, who hails from Ireland. "People don't know what to make of me, and that's just fine."

But the 17-year-old Mumba is on the fast track to join Spears and Aguilera on the charts with "Gotta Tell You," which shot to #10 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 this week and is moving its way up the R&B chart.

The song from Mumba's upcoming debut album (also titled "Gotta Tell You") is heavy on beats and processed vocals, but Mumba doesn't intend to hide her pipes behind electronic effects.

"I want to make sure my music sounds current, but I want even more to make sure people can identify that it's me," she said from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Born in Dublin, Mumba garnered a local following by singing in a modern production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Mikado," which got her invited to sing on several Irish TV shows.

Mumba, who left school last year after too many bleary-eyed mornings that followed performances, didn't set out to become a professional singer.

"Music chose me," she said. "I just sang, and all these things happened." She said she'll return to school if her music career fizzles, which doesn't seem to be in danger of happening anytime soon.

In addition to the hit single, the "Gotta Tell You" LP, due out on October 31, includes "Body II Body," a dancefloor remake of David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" -- a song recorded three years before Mumba was born.

"That wasn't my idea, but the track is pretty irresistible," Mumba said. "We didn't expect Bowie to approve it, but he gave us the go-ahead."

In the U.K., Mumba is at least as well known for her manager -- Louis Walsh, who handles Boyzone and Westlife -- as she is for her music. So she's looking forward to testing the waters across the pond, where those acts aren't household names. "In the U.S., people aren't as obsessed with pop stars," she said.

With top 10 success in hand on these shores, Mumba now hopes to define herself as a songwriter. She co-wrote "Gotta Tell You" and the ballad "Never Meant to Be" and said she hopes to write more for her next album.

"I'm not a songwriter yet," Mumba said. "That's a real craft, and I'm just learning it."

• Samantha Mumba

• Samantha Mumba

Samantha Mumba mtv exclusive photos

• Samantha Mumba

Samantha Mumba spankin' new music week photos

• Samantha Mumba