By Annie ZaleskiPop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The following ten singles saturated the Top 40 -- or what passes for hit-oriented radio in this topsy-turvy musical climate -- while proving that accessibility doesn't necessarily preclude creativity.
CHRIS
By Randall Roberts
You don't need a half-wit music critic to tell you it's been a
remarkable year for America, one historians will be discussing and
researching for centuries to come. War, financial collapse, politics,
technology: All have been dinner-table topics for many Americans.
Racial barriers in 2008 were demolished by a Midwestern black man, and
gender barriers were hurdled by an Arkansan and an Alaskan.Democracy
has a few awesome new dance moves rolling into the Obama presidency,
and i
Paula AbdulAs people turn away from soap operas in droves, daytime television continues to pull out the dramatic stops in order to keep afloat in the recession. But if Days of Our Lives or All My Children wants a bit of a buzzy boost that a fictional transsexual rock star just cannot provide, the producers should consider hiring one of these music stars, who all seem to have the soap opera mentality coursing through them:
10. Paula Abdul
The pop star turned American Idol judge began her aspiring
Usually I keep email correspondences private, but the following message I just received from one publicist at XO Publicity was so crass I had to share it."I know your [sic] still upset Jennifer about Chris Brown hitting Rihanna however I was hoping you might attack my red shiny package with [band name removed]'s upcoming release '[album name removed]. And I mean attack it, hit it hard... just like if it was Rihanna and you were Chris Brown (I know bad joke)'"Because, ya know, domestic violence i
NARIP.comJeff DanieMusic is only one part of the music business. The other part, of course, is business, and a big part of that business revolves around how artists are marketed. With that in mind, the National Association of Recording Industry Professionals, or NARIP for short, is offering a one-day seminar on "Music in Advertising: Selling In, Not Selling Out." The event, which promises to be a chance to soak up game on "matching bands with brands," features a panel discussion with Jeff Daniel
