Free “Symphonies”

Posted by John on December 29, 2009
Posted in: free download, new releases, videos, youtube. Tagged: . 5 Comments

A few months back, Paul at Fizzy Pop was raving about Dan Black’s “Symphonies”, and at the time I recall liking it, but not really being swept off my feet. Then I heard it in the car on Radio 1, and I was hooked. You’ll recognize the “Umbrella” hook instantly, but it’s all of the extras that will reel you in, including his very distinct vocal delivery.

So you’re interested, right? Well, head on over to iTunes and pick it up, because it’s the Single of the Week, which means it’s free. Better yet, check out his full-length UN, which is also available at a discounted price, or his iTunes Live collection that was recorded last summer in London.

Top Pop Singles of 2009

Posted by John on December 27, 2009
Posted in: singles, year-end. 14 Comments

2009 was not my favorite year so far, but there was some pretty great pop music to be had, and I’ve pulled together my top 40 singles from the year. Here are the usual disclaimers:

1. I know that there’s probably a lot of other good stuff out there, but all I can talk about are the tracks that came across my laptop or iPod.
2. Country seems to have made a small resurgence in the countdown. Please remember that my definition of “pop” tends to be a bit less strict than others.
3. The number in parentheses is the peak position on the Billboard Hot 100.
4. I attempt to keep artists to one song per year-end chart. That potentially was an issue with the Saturdays this year, but in the end, “Forever Is Over” didn’t quite make the cut.

Before we get started, here are the runner ups. It seems that I can’t keep to just 40 songs.
45. Cowboy Casanova/Carrie Underwood (11)
44. No You Girls (Vince Clarke Remix)/Franz Ferdinand (NA)
43. Consider Me Gone/Reba McEntire (38)
42. Shooting Stars/Bag Raiders (NA)
41. I’m Not Alone – Calvin Harris (NA)

And now, the Top 40 of 2009:
40. Floating Off The Ground/Chris Richardson – A late-year release for CRich proved that Chris still has relevance over two years out from his fourth-place finish on American Idol. Here’s hoping that his album finally makes it out in 2010 (which I was also hoping for last year). (NA)
39. Raindrops/Basement Jaxx – The Jaxx have always been on my radar, but not until this year did a single song register with me like this one. (NA)
38. Make Me/Janet Jackson – Joke all you want, but “Make Me” was a return to form for Miss Jackson with Rodney Jerkins at the helm, securing her yet another #1 dance hit. (NA)
37. Empire State Of Mind (feat Alicia Keys)/Jay-Z – Debuting this song at the end of the MTV VMAs was one of the best moves Jay made in a high-profile year. This combo was nearly unstoppable at the end of the year, holding down the #1 spot for 5 weeks. (1)
36. The Fear/Lily Allen – Like so many others that I know, 2009 was the year that Lily Allen became bearable. This was a grower for me, but when it did, it wouldn’t let go. (80)

35. Confusion Girl (Shame Shame Shame)/Frankmusik – The darling of pop blogs everywhere turned out to be a chart disappointment, but from all reports, he isn’t letting this keep him from moving forward. (NA)
34. Runaway/Love And Theft – Kris Allen actually got pop radio airplay for a weak Script cover, and these guys got relegated to Country radio. Apparently, there is no justice for a stellar country pop song. (65)
33. Whataya Want From Me/Adam Lambert – And speaking of Idols, here is the clear winner from season 8, despite what the final vote may have said. While first single “For Your Entertainment” got slagged a bit, this one has received near-universal praise. I can’t believe P!nk gave this away, but it really works for Adam. (72 to date)
32. – I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)/Pitbull – Don’t ask me to explain what it is about Pitbull that I like, but he really has a knack for finding hooks that translate well to the dancefloor and the radio. (2)
31. Permanent (American Idol Charity Song)/David Cook – To perform a song written for your brother shortly after he dies takes a lot of courage and strength. To perform that song with so much passion that the listener feels your pain and sorrow is talent. Simply stunning. (24)

30. Use Somebody/Kings of Leon – I originally hoped that “Use” would just get the Kings a top 40 hit, but who knew it would linger in the top 10 for almost two months? (4)
29. Remedy/Little Boots – I wasn’t sure if LB would live up to the hype piled on her early in the year, but this track definitely did the job. (NA)
28. Please Don’t Leave Me/P!nk – P!nk has become the little engine that could, racking up three top 20 hits off of Funhouse, despite being a bit more low-key than some of her other pop counterparts. (17)
27. Never Forget You/Noisettes – There was a good three-week stretch where I couldn’t get this song out of my head. This is a modern update of a classic R&B sound that should have gotten a lot more attention than it did. (NA)
26. Wonderful/Gary Go – Despite the record company’s attempts to get this track some attention in the US (they even gave it away on iTunes for a week), it just didn’t catch on. (NA)

25. Syndicate/The Fray – Recently announced as their next single, this track was my highlight of their self-titled sophomore release back in February, as well as of the show I saw in January. (NA)
24. 3/Britney Spears – Part funky jam and part smart strategy on the part of the record label got Brit her second #1 track in a year’s time. (1)
23. Rain/Mika – “We Are Golden” truly underwhelmed me, but the rest of Mika’s second disc picked up where his first album left off. (NA)
22. When Love Takes Over (feat Kelly Rowland)/David Guetta – While “Sexy Bitch” may have been Guetta’s pop breakthrough in the US, his first collaboration with Kelly Rowland proved to be a perfect pairing (and a #1 dance track). (76)
21. Uprising/Muse – They already had buzzworthy cred, but a hot performance on the MTV Video Music Awards got Muse their biggest hit to date in the US. (37 to date)

And now, the Top 20:
20. Baby/Alcazar – Alcazar was a group that never resonated with me until a full-court press by Paul over at Fizzy Pop convinced me to give them a go. This is a classic pop song written by Chris and Neil of the Pet Shop Boys, and it meshes perfectly with the group’s vocals. How is it that this was never released as a single, even in their homeland of Sweden? (NA)

19. Need You Now/Lady Antebellum – Lady A’s debut CD produced three Country hits (two of which went Gold) and was certified Platinum within 18 months of its release, but to most people they were strictly seen as a Country group. That all changed with their performance of “Need You Now” on the Country Music Awards last month. It is great that they are getting their due, and it happens with a song that could have easily been recorded as a pop power ballad. Maybe a song choice for a Steps reunion? In the meantime, watch this one cross straight over to the pop side. (5 to date)

18. Work/The Saturdays – In the world of pop music blogging, opinions can be extremely polarizing. While some folks loved this track, others thought it was just a b-side quality song. The British public spoke and determined that it wasn’t that strong of a single, only pushing it up to #22 and becoming their only single to not go Top 20. (NA)

17. Meet Me Halfway/Black Eyed Peas – While my love of this song is solid, “Meet Me Halfway” became a victim of its own success, because I just got burned out on the track. Overplaying aside, this track shows that the combination of will.i.am’s production and Fergie’s vocals, which apart are nothing to brag about, are gold when combined properly. (7)

16. Release Me/Agnes – It seems like this song has been around forever, but it finally saw the light of day in the US back in August. I thought the song stood a good chance of making it, but as of right now, it has only been a hit on the Dance chart, where it went to #1. That didn’t stop the rest of the world from falling for it, though. (NA)

15. New York/Paloma Faith – I fell in love with Paloma the first time I heard “Stone Cold Sober”, but she cemented my interest with this smoky mid-tempo ballad that portrays the Big Apple as a lady who steals Paloma’s boyfriend away. The video was beautifully done, and it got some decent attention outside of the UK. (NA)

14. Heartbreak on Vinyl/Blake Lewis – When Blake released “Sad Song” in advance of his second CD, I initially liked it, but upon release of the full disc, it was clear that the best hadn’t seen the light of day. “Heartbreak” uses a record shop to tell the story of a relationship that has gone past its chart peak, never to revisit those glory days. The song deserves to be a hit, but the fact that Blake even got to record a second album is a victory in itself. (NA)

13. Untouchable/Girls Aloud – “Like beautiful robots dancing alone” is my favorite lyric of 2009, but I believe part of that is because of the lush song that it comes from. Born of Xenomania, this song holds the distinction of not only being the classiest single that Girls Aloud have ever released, but also the single the broke GA’s string of top 10 singles. No matter…when history looks back on their discography, this will absolutely be a highlight. (NA)

12. Day ‘N’ Nite (Crookers Remix)/Kid Cudi – I remember hearing this track back in January and thinking that this futuristic track was unlike anything on the radio, and yet deserved to be a smash. While the stark original version became a hit here in the US, it was the Crookers remix that was a smash in the UK which became my favorite. His full-length Man on the Moon was one of the best full-length hip-hop CDs of 2009, and he’s currently up for 2 Grammy awards as well. (3)

11. Crash & Burn/Jesse McCartney – I am still in awe of this track, and although it doesn’t look like it will have an official single release, I still stand by my assertion that “Crash” is the best track from either version of McCartney’s Departure. The new tracks on the Recharged version show much promise for his next release, on its way in October. (NA)

10. Pop Goes the World/Gossip – If I had disappointment over “Crash and Burn” not being released as a single, that disappointment would need to be multiplied over and over to express my feelings over the promotion of the Gossip’s Music for Men. While “Pop” is slated to be the next single, I feel like the momentum has been lost. (BTW, the Gossip was my favorite concert of the year.) (NA)

9. Love Struck/V Factory – Here is another prediction from this year that didn’t pan out: V Factory would instigate the return of the boy band in 2009. Maybe it will still happen, but “Love Struck” should have been an instant hit. Instead, it barely grazed the bottom of pop radio’s top 40, and quickly disappeared. For me, though, it was one of two jams that defined the summer. (70)

8. Evacuate The Dancefloor/Cascada – Well, for every prediction that didn’t come true, I can usually find one that at least found a little traction. Cascada was a slow-burn Energizer Bunny this year with “Evacuate the Dancefloor”, which is STILL climbing the chart after five months of release. The song is contagious, and even after all this time, I still love hearing it on the radio. (25 to date)

7. Broken Strings (feat Nelly Furtado)/James Morrison – Coming in a close second on my favorite concerts this year was the double-bill of Adele and James Morrison, whom I got to meet after the show. Even in a solo acoustic setting, you could really feel the power and emotion that made “Broken Strings” such an amazing song. Their voices blend so effortlessly, but the single barely made an impact here in the US. (NA)

6. Did You See Me Coming/Pet Shop Boys – I know they technically didn’t go anywhere, but the Pet Shop Boys earn a Best Comeback for amazing singles like “Love Etc” and “Did You See Me Coming”, which fueled my summer playlist before summer even got here. The Boys haven’t been quite this joyful and upbeat since “Go West”, and it earned them a #1 dance hit here in the US. Now if we could arrange for their tour to stop in Denver, I will be satisfied. (NA)

5. This Tornado Loves You/Neko Case – In a sea of dancey pop music, Neko Case provided me with a much lusher landscape to escape to in “Tornado”. While Neko has been around for several years, her music finally clicked with me this time around. Apparently it did with other people as well, as she got her first top 10 album with Middle Cyclone.(NA)

4. Bad Romance/Lady Gaga – I resisted…I admit it. It just seemed so over the top that I couldn’t bring myself to give into the hype and the adulation. Resistance was, as usual, futile, and it just snowballed from there. The chanting latches onto your brain like a barnacle and doesn’t let go, but it’s the chorus that unlocks the secret power pop formula. (2 to date)

3. Supernova (feat Kanye West)/Mr Hudson – My declaration back in June was “this just FEELS like a #1.” So much for my gut instinct, although it did reach #2 in the UK in July. The album was supposed to be released December 1st here, but no sign of it. You think that might have something to do with its #25 debut in his homeland? The next time you hear about this, the word “retooled” will probably be used. (112)

2. I Wish (Cahill Mix)/Mini Viva – “I Left My Heart In Tokyo” prepped the palate for pop music greatness, and then the original version of “I Wish” was released, making “Tokyo” seem like an outtake in comparison. But when the Cahill Mix of “I Wish” was released, it was clear that these ladies meant business. There is probably no chance of an American release of Mini Viva’s soon-to-be-released debut, but it is still pretty close to pop perfection. (NA)

1. The Spell/Alphabeat – Last year, Alphabeat’s “Boyfriend” made it to #9 on the year-end chart, and that was off the strength of a Pete Hammond remix. This year, they changed up the formula a bit and went back to the late 80s/early 90s for a much dancier sound. The song goes from zero to 60 in about three seconds, and doesn’t look back. I couldn’t get enough of this song, but the promotion seemed all over the place. Did it pay off? Well, in Denmark, it went to #1, but in the UK, it petered out at #20. (NA)

There you have it…another year’s worth of singles in the books. Did it match up with yours? Any glaring omissions? Hit me up!

At the Turn of the Decade

Posted by John on December 23, 2009
Posted in: personal, year-end. 7 Comments

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we’ve no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

This month has been a blur to me for several reasons: work, which seems to be changing at a rapid rate; school, which wrapped up last week with a huge bang (that being my head against my desk in rapid succession); and just life in general, which continues to be an adventure taking me in unexpected directions. Fortunately, the holidays not only bring time to celebrate, but also time to reflect, and that is what I am finding myself doing now. 2009 was supposed to be this remarkably rejuvenating year, and while there were some highlights and new experiences (London, grad school, and new love, to name a few), those perks were accompanied by some pretty intense adversities. Let’s just say that these are best left unsaid, as it only perpetuates the negative energy.

One thing that I feel has suffered as a result has been the musical experience. No matter how much we would like to think that music is a casual hobby, for those who really love the full experience, it can be a lot of work. Searching out new music, listening to it multiple times and processing it in my head is something I take seriously, and it is also something I haven’t been able to do as much as I would like in 2009.

Having said all of this, I am in the process of wrapping up the year not only in my head, but also for my blog. In the next couple of days, you will see my top CDs and top singles. There are several blogs that have done the decade wrap-up, but I don’t think I will be going there, except for a personal summary sometime in the near future. If you want a great recap of the decade in CDs, check out ww_adh’s top 100.

When Those Blue Snowflakes Start Falling

Posted by John on December 12, 2009
Posted in: free download, holiday, singles. Tagged: , , , . 4 Comments

This week has been stress with a capital S, and when you throw in a little bug for good measure, it’s a perfect recipe for the holiday blues. There has been a feeling of homesickness creeping up on me the past week, but not feeling well just opened the floodgates. So it really was perfect timing when Will-W. posted his version of “Blue Christmas” last night. No gospel choir singers or bombastic arrangements are necessary when you have a quality singer singing a quality song, right? And to sweeten the pot, the song is available for free on his website. That fits PERFECTLY into my gift-giving budget this year!

While we are talking about free Christmas songs, make sure you check out Amazon’s 25 Days of Free promotion, where they are giving away a free Christmas song every day through the 25th. Among those already available for download are selections by Tori Amos, Lady GaGa, Jars of Clay, and Todd Agnew. It’s a bit hit or miss on the quality (really, did the world need GaGa’s take on “Deck the Halls”?), but with the selection they are offering, there’s probably something there for everyone’s taste. My favorite so far has been Richie McDonald’s take on “O Holy Night”. You might remember Richie as the former lead singer of Lonestar, whose hit “Amazed” crossed over to the pop charts in a big way in 1999 and 2000, both in the US and the UK.

I Dream of Christmas

Posted by John on December 7, 2009
Posted in: holiday, songs, videos, youtube. Tagged: . 8 Comments

I am a bit obsessed with George Michael’s “December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)” at the moment, and it has caught me a bit off guard. As I posted last Christmas (pun abused, reused, and still intended), this song was George’s Christmas present to the world. However, for those of you who didn’t wake up on Christmas day and run straight for your laptop or desktop, you can now pay for the privilege of owning this track, along with a few other treats if you’re very good and want to pay out a few extra coins.

Enough of the logistics, though…let’s get to the song in question. When I first heard the opening strains of something straight out of It’s a Wonderful Life, I thought someone was playing a joke on me. But the piano and sleigh bells kicked in, and I instantly knew the source. If you pay attention to the structure of the intro (and the chorus), you can hear a slowed-down version of “Last Christmas”, but once you hit the first verse, it’s George circa Older.

The video, which on the surface is an escape for a child facing a potentially disappointing Christmas, actually holds very true to one of George’s predominant themes: coping with a situation that doesn’t feel right or true. It doesn’t take long for the child in the video to lose himself in the fanciful world he has walked into, but soon enough he comes crashing back into the real world. Fortunately, this story looks to have a happy ending, with his mom at his bedside.

No matter what form his December Song took, it saved him from despair and sadness. Don’t we all have a song around the holidays that, no matter what is going on in our lives, lifts us up and puts us right back in the mood for the holiday? For me, that song has always been “Last Christmas”. There is something about Christmas that brings out feelings of melancholy, and I have a deep appreciation for that when it comes around. Even though things feel like they are working against me, I recognize that my life is pretty amazing, and the blessings in my life could fill a whole book. Those moments are cathartic, and I come out of them on the other side with a better appreciation of the moment. I tend to embrace the season much more after that.

George’s website mentions that he is working on a new album. Here’s hoping that he continues to share songs that can inspire as deep a feeling as “December Song” does.

Shayne Bares His…Chest

Posted by John on December 1, 2009
Posted in: news, videos. Tagged: . 10 Comments

So with the holidays here in the US, I have been a bit out of the loop with my normal updates and blogs, but I got a little surprise this morning in the form of new video blogs from Shayne Ward over at his website. Turns out that he’s been a busy guy recently, even though he’s been flying under the radar. Being the literary sacrificial lamb that I am, I put myself through the arduous task of watching these videos to pull out bits of information for you. In no particular order:

– Shayne expects that the album will be done in December, but is still looking at material to add into the mix.
– Shayne is sporting a full-fledged beard.
– Shayne aspires to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.
– Shayne lists the Bee Gees, the Stylistics, Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Kings of Leon in his musical top 5.
– Shayne seems hell-bent on sharing his chest hair with the camera, even in heavy clothing.
– Shayne hasn’t been to the dance studio recently, but will as the album release gets closer.
– Shayne will definitely have an album to release in 2010.

This is all promising, but it’s all stuff that we’ve heard before. Hopefully Shayne’s management are committed to making release #3 a success, and possibly bringing some of that success over to the US. He’s not going to make the cover of Rolling Stone without it!

Super Monday

Posted by John on November 25, 2009
Posted in: holiday, music industry, new releases. Tagged: , , , , , . 10 Comments

Ah, the creative American music business. Move up the release date by a day due to Thanksgiving, push out a bunch of buzz-worthy CDs, and call it SUPER TUESDAYMONDAY!

*crickets*

I shouldn’t mock, because I have been waiting for a few of these releases, but it is kind of a joke. Last year’s Super TuesdayMonday was a big ol’ bust. In a week where Kanye West and Guns N Roses were both expected to sell in excess of 500,000 units each, Kanye hit the mid-400K range, while GNR didn’t even break 300,000. Only the top 11 releases hit six figures, where past years would have seen between 15 and 20 titles exceed 100,000 units.

[Side note: how crushing of a blow is the #13 bow of Leona Lewis with Echo?]

Last week saw the top 7 titles exceed 100K, with John Mayer leading the way, and this week should be more, but by how much? Susan Boyle is expected to exceed 500,000, but the next highest title prediction is Adam Lambert’s debut For Your Entertainment with 225,000 units. It is early in the week, and things could still change radically, but it is just not going to be as big a week as the industry is hoping it will be.

Video Notables – Janet Jackson

Posted by John on November 21, 2009
Posted in: videos, youtube. Tagged: . 12 Comments

After a week of interviews and “making of” video clips, the full version of Janet’s “Make Me” video has made its way out onto the Internet. The clip is primarily a dance performance, but there is some CG going on that gives it a bit of a “Scream” tribute vibe. Janet looks stunning, the dance routines are typical of Janet’s bubbly choreography preference, and the black and white color scheme really strips it down to just her. My fingers are still crossed for this to become a hit, but I don’t know if I get the way this is being promoted. Here’s hoping that her show-opening performance on the American Music Awards Sunday night kicks some life into the track.

Random Notes – 11-19-09

Posted by John on November 20, 2009
Posted in: american idol, charts, commentary, music industry, singles, videos, youtube. Tagged: , , . 13 Comments

– Now that I’m on Twitter (@ConstantLearnin), I’m getting to see what I’ve been missing out on. While there are things about Twitter that drive me nutty (do I need to know that you’re watching “King of Queens”?), when used in a good context, it is a great way for an up-and-coming artist to build buzz for themselves. Courtesy of @PopMuse, here’s a sample of a new track from Chris that must be a result of this studio marathon that he’s been tweeting about at @ImChrisRich.

In searching for more info on this, I also came across an interview and free download that he did for *cough*Wal-Mart*choke*. “Floating Off the Ground” definitely fits into the current pop landscape, although trying to break through without a major label behind you can be tough. Just ask Elliot Yamin about that one. I’ve listened to the track about 10 times over the past two days, and it has me intrigued about the rest of his long-delayed new record, which is now supposed to be released in 2010. Get your guilt-free download of the song here (signup necessary to download). You can also check out the tune in the video posted below. I read somewhere that this is his new single, but I can’t believe that he would be giving away a single that he actually hopes gets him some chart action.

– One song that is showing a little bit of legs and has slowly grown on me is Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet”, which has already been a top 5 hit in the UK. “Haven’t” is bulleted at #57 on the Hot 100, along with being top 5 at Adult Contemporary and top 30 on the Adult Top 40 chart. While it’s been pushed by appearances on Dancing with the Stars and Oprah, the song is a solid straight-ahead pop song without any gimmicks that you just don’t hear on the radio all that much, and deserves to be a hit.

Having said all of this, his record company has already announced that they are planning a re-issue of Crazy Love, which was only released 7 weeks ago. While I am glad that the record company is behind him, this re-issue craze is just getting out of hand. Here’s hoping that Lady GaGa is able to show the industry next week that a brand-new album is a better value to the consumer than just the same 10 tracks with a few new ones thrown in for good measure.

– I am pretty thrilled that after 19 months on the charts, Lady Antebellum is getting their moment to shine on the larger pop stage. Following their triumph at the Country Music Awards on the 11th, their self-titled debut bounds back up the Billboard 200 to #11, and their current single “Need You Now”, from the album of the same name due January 26th, leaps all the way up to #5 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Country singles chart.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the members of Lady Antebellum have some serious music business roots. Hillary Scott is the daughter of Linda Davis, who is most well-known from her duet with Reba McEntire on the original version of “Does He Love You”, and Charles Kelley is the brother of pop singer Josh Kelley. In fact, Josh actually helped the band out early on by letting them crash at his place and use his recording equipment as they were pursuing a recording contract. “Need You Now” is only their fourth single, but it is already their second Country #1. Look for them to partake in some Sugarland-like domination over the next few years.

GaGa: Too Much Too Soon?

Posted by John on November 18, 2009
Posted in: commentary, music industry, upcoming. Tagged: , . 19 Comments

If you even glance at music blogs once a month, there is no way that you have not experienced the GaGa firestorm that has consumed pop music lovers around the globe. It is pretty staggering to see just how pervasive she has become in the span of a year, especially when you take into account that her first single “Just Dance” didn’t even hit #1 in the US until this past January. Now, you can’t listen to a pop radio station an hour without hearing one of her five hits.

In reading Will-W’s review of The Fame Monster, due in stores and online November 23rd, I was struck first by his enthusiasm for the opus, but I started to wonder about her still-building popularity. Four top 10 singles is a huge year for any artist, but “Bad Romance” makes #5, and there are at least two more hits waiting in the wings. Should GaGa have left her monsters waiting to build some anticipation? Or did she do the right thing by striking while the iron is still hot? I know that this was supposed to be part of a re-issue (a practice I already have a huge bias against), but it appears that this has grown well beyond the original plan. “Bad Romance” is almost a given to hit #1 soon (possibly even in two weeks, once the EP hits, and Fame Monster may give Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment a run for the #1 album.

You know what song “Bad Romance” reminds of at times? Don’t laugh…New Kids on the Block’s “Step By Step”. And there’s a reason for that. After the huge response to Hangin’ Tough and the resulting tour, “Step” sounded like a huge, well, step ahead, with a much larger sound and an arena-inspiring chorus. “Step” is the one song of theirs from the 80s that actually holds up well. To me, there are a lot of comparison between NKOTB and GaGa right now (minus the branded bedsheets). Both seemed to come out of nowhere, both broke wide open globally, and both racked up multiple top 10 hits off of their breakthrough records (Hangin’ Tough was NKOTB’s 2nd album). And let’s not forget that they have already recorded together on the GaGa-penned “Big Girl Now”.

Here’s the big difference, though. New Kids had a bit of a break from the charts between 1989 and 1990 (Christmas single “This One’s For the Children” excepted). There is no break for GaGa, who is still at #7 on the Hot 100 with “Paparazzi”. Even with a break, the NKOTB backlash started in 1990, and continued on through the next couple of years, culminating in 1992 when they were accused of lip-syncing music sung by other singers. The fact that “If You Go Away”, arguably their finest moment, only got to #16 that year in the US demonstrates how quickly the biggest group in the world can plummet. I am not wishing a similar backlash for GaGa, as I hope she keeps pushing boundaries for years to come. My concern is that the public at large may not be as dedicated to her longevity, and she will be left behind for the next flash in the pan.

So what do you all think? Too much too soon? Cash in while the demand is there? Some other option?