No, wait! Come back! I'm going to make this good, I promise!

Ke$ha (pronounced "Keh-sha"...apparenlty I've been saying it wrong this whole time), the girl with a whirlwind career that began with being confused for Katy Perry on Flo Rida's rehashing of a Dead or Alive classic, and now stands with breaking sales records for downloads and having the first #1 song of a new decade, sure has a way of polarizing bloggers. Depending on who you talk to (or read, rather), she is either a freshly arrived new popstar, a (drunker) Lady Gaga knockoff, the oncoming of an imminent apocalypse, or perhaps all three. I'm choosing to look at the subject of the artist on everyone's lips in a slightly different fashion:

I believe Ke$ha will be a victim of her own image.

Oh, yeah. Melismatic is going all introspective on you. While the same argument could be made of Gaga herself, I feel it's a bit more pertinent to Ke$ha.

I'm not here to knock Ms. Ke$ha, the person. I included "Tik Tok" on my list of the Top 29 Songs of 2009, and I stand by it. It's catchy as hell -- and as I've stated before, pop doesn't and shouldn't have to be taken so seriously all the time. We're in a recession, for crying out loud. Our business is one of the few that can be raucous and rowdy, because people need that escapism.

That said, I am I over-the-moon excited for a full record of "drunken" sing-talking? Not exactly. "Tik Tok" started making the blog rounds around the midway point of 2009 after the success of Flo Rida's "Right Round", but didn't see commercial success until recently. And I mean very recently. Hence the "overnight" term that will be attached to her name until she proves she can continue to replicate "Tik Tok"s success (complain about Gaga and her overexposedness all you want -- homegirl brought home the money between her two records...and has a third on the way for 2010). Do I think "Tik Tok" will be the "Mambo No.5" (or in her case, more likely the "Tubthumping") of this decade? Who knows? But  I do know girlfriend's window opportunity to prove herself is shrinking by the day. If today's pop music world has taught me anything, it's the fact that you could be a hot topic one day, and the 2010 equivilant of Vitamin C the next (what did happen to her career, by the way?).

I suppose the biggest turn off his her vocal delivery. After perusing her debut Animal, I was struck by just how similar it all sounds -- and not in a cohesive album direction kind of way. "Your Love Is My Drug" and purported second single "Blah Blah Blah" (which disdainfully features an act I seriously wish would just go away -- 3OH!3) feature the same bratty vocal underlined by virtually the same ringtone-y synth. Once you get over the novelty of "Tik Tok", because let's face it, it didn't really sound exactly like everything on the radio when it first reared its head, and it still doesn't...to a degree, Ke$ha's appeal starts to wane because the prevalence of her sass-singing wears thin. Perhaps I'm a nostalgic, but I tend to prefer my popstars to have at least a passable voice to rely on (at the very least, to mime along to during performances). We don't get to really find out much about Ke$ha's voice, because it's more about maintaining this image of the cliched but seasoned party girl.

I've maintained that unless she could come up with a good followup single to "Tik Tok", she would fade into the recesses of our pop memories as a "Wonder What Happened To Her"/"One Hit Wonder" type of territory, no matter the production arms behind her (she is repped major by Dr. Luke, has a track by Max Martin, etc.etc.). It's not that Animal is awful, I've certainly heard worse, but in terms of her gaining this label of the pop realm's new golden girl, worthy of competing with 2009's favorite new It!Girl in Lady Gaga, seems overly ambitious. If she's smart, she'll skip "Blah Blah Blah" and go with the Max Martin-penned "Take It Off". Other than "Tik Tok", it's the only song off the entire record that truly struck a chord with me upon the first few listens. So much of the album is cluttered with posing and posturing (a pitfull that turned me off of the current Rihanna offering), that I start to wonder if this is really the type of image RCA Records expects to maintain for a career, rather than a few catchy singles...but in this download dominated market, who's to say having one hit song is not a sufficient career?

(Just a side note, but Dr. Luke is a producer I deeply respect for his keen ability to hear and produce a stompin' pop jam. His heralding of "Ke$ha for President" leaves me scratching my head. It all just feels too soon, to me. We don't even know anything about this girl, do we?)

Sure, "Dinosaur" is kind of funny. "Backstabber" is kind of relatable. But overall, the album relies far too much on Ke$ha's carefully crafted surliness. Forgive me for becoming a bit jaded in my pop listening, it's just it feels...contrived. Surely, you jest, Mel, I know you must be thinking. Aren't most pop singers careers planned out for them? I'm not naive enough to believe that this isn't true. It's just in Ke$ha's case, it's particularly apparent. I'm not here to say she's a faker, I don't know her. However, her first entrance into the public sphere was as a free-spirit bumkin on 'The Simple Life' alongside Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. No, I'm not kidding.

The problem is, she is the first solo female "electro" (I use quotes because so many American artists use the 'electro' tag, when they aren't really electro at all, Ke$ha included) act to hit the US market in a big way since Lady Gaga, so in this way, she is doomed to comparisons and confusion. Just as Jessica Simpson's and Mandy Moore's careers suffered when they were compared to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, so will Ke$ha's to Lady Gaga. And there are other warning signs, too. The borderline obnoxious inclusion of '$' in her name is one, and her promotion campaign centered around the reverse psychology of 'Ke$ha Suxx' (with two x's?) is another. I don't like to think I'm too prudish when it comes to pop, but her fueling of this trashy image doesn't feel organic, it just feels like a desperate attempt to be cool -- and should we really be praising this kind of image, crafted or otherwise?

The excitement surrounding her continues to build and build, and I'm sitting here wondering where it's all coming from. "Tik Tok" is fun and all, but can she continue that momentum? The scariest thought to me is she may be able to pull off what seasoned vets (and unarguable talents) Mary J Blige and Alicia Keys could not, and knock Susan Boyle off the top of the album charts. What does that say about our country on the whole?

Well? Discuss.

+ Billboard Magazine has officially confirmed that in terms of overall 2009 sales, Taylor Swift's Fearless is officially the year's biggest seller (in the American market). Susan Boyle comes in a close second. How that woman manages to continue to sell over 100K every week is beyond staggering to me. Go on, girlfriend. Other news per Billboard: album sales are continuing to dwindle (surprised?). Silver Lining? Total music-related purchases are actually up by a few percentage points. Take that, naysayers. 


+ In the wake of the New Year's Eve specials, a lot of people seem to be talking about Jennifer Lopez's performance "bodysuit" and how risque it was. I don't about risque. I would go with "unflattering" and the epitome of a fashion don't but that's just me. Homegirl is from New York. Doesn't she know how cold it is here in January? SMH. (Sidenote: I'm still not feeling the new single, but her revival of "Waiting For Tonight" made me quite happy.)


+ I finally saw 'Nine' over the weekend. It wasn't the musical opus I desperately wanted it to be, but Kate Hudson's "Cinema Italiano" wasn't as horrific as I feared (it's actually quite a toe-tapper). My fave part of the entire film had to go to Ms. Fergie and her "Be Italian". Beyond gorge. Brava! Brava! Bellisima!


+ News is continuing to pour out fast and furious regarding upcoming album release dates, and everyone and their mother on my blog roll have been posting what records they are most looking forward to in 2010. My list of expected offenders is growing by the day, but it's very apparent that 2010 will be a Year of the Woman, with expected releases (relatively soon to boot) by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Robyn (finally!), Nadine Coyle (and hopefully another Girls Aloud record too...am I hoping for too much?), Ellie Goulding, Jada, Christina Aguilera (more on this later this week) and yes, Lady Gaga. My head is spinning. Literally. I think I might have died from estrogen overload. Check my pulse, please? Am I still alive? Okay...good. Of course, I still have love in my heart for the boys, in particular Travis Garland, Simon Curtis, and those involved in V Factory.


+ Speaking of excitement building, JoJo made me a very happy camper yesterday, throwing out a few song titles from her upcoming third album, All I Want Is Everything, into the Twitterverse. Those titles were: "Jumpin' Trains", "My Time Is Money" (oh snap!), "Shades", and "(I Only Know Him) In the Dark". Meow! My favorite little R&B-lette is all grown up and it makes me feel really old. But excited none-the-less.

• "So you think you know it all? That's just the arrogance of youth."
• "You think you invented being bad?"
• "I've earned respectability. You know I have a history."

and the big kicker:

• "It's all been done, your brand new craze. It all begun at Momma's Place."

ZOW!

Over the course of the year and then some existence of Melismatic, I have been contacted by some really promising new artists in search of some promotion. I’ve been supremely lacking in terms of speaking on these talents, due to a variety of reasons, but that is something that will change drastically in 2010. If you are an artist, please feel free to send me an e-mail with your info. However -- full disclosure – I will only give priority to artists I believe in and/or am intrigued by, who I feel deserve a voice in a business where breaking in is downright harrowing. With that said, I hope to continue to feature a new artist (preferably unsigned or very much underground) at least once a month…

I was contacted back in October by the group that is not exactly for the prudish of heart in the pop realm, called Whore’s Mascara. The name in itself conjured all sorts of intense imagery – but it was supported by the knowledge that this was an electro-clash trio, fusing the grand and campy style of the 80’s club scene (to put it mildly) with today’s embrace of electronic sounds and sex appeal. My interest was peaked from go, and it was definitely worth the trip.

The group is an international affair, with its three members hailing from Britain, Australia and the USA (by way of California). They describe their sound as “if the Pet Shop Boys and Madonna got together and had a drunken, explicit menage-a-trois, Whore's Mascara might sound like their lovechild” (and you thought Britney's "3" was risque...pfffft). Modern electro influences also abound, especially with my personal favorites Dragonette and Little Boots.

The group’s breakthrough single, “Monogamous”, seems to be their most mainstream offering and ups the camp factor up to about eleven, all the while winking to audience, hinting of what's to come. The song itself has a call/response, male/female kind of chorus that slithers with coy sex appeal, stating "I could be monogamous with you...for a day or two/I could be monogamous with you...but can they come, too?" The crunchy intro cues up comparisons to Dragonette’s “Fixin’ To Thrill”, however as the song truly kicks in to gear, it sounds more similar to Human League or Soft Cell. They straddle the line (err…literally) between 80’s camp and 00/10’s kitsch, and the result is ridiculously catchy. The "Liberation Remix" is also quite fab as well. I've been finding myself humming the chorus to myself quite a bit since I first the spun the track, and considering my already cluttered collection of electro-pop, that's quite a feat.

In fact, its the type of song that when you hear it, you feel it might have been a long lost discovery from the 1980's itself, and not a current offering. For fans of the that type of underground club sound, that is a victory in itself. The music video is also an artsy triumph, shot by fashion photog Patrik Andersson. The scenes pile on the sex appeal, while remaining starkly aware of image and ridiculousness, and for whatever reason, recalls my thoughts to Tim Curry and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (a flashback that I continually receive upon perusing their debut album). In fact, the video has been chosen to be featured on both FUSE On Demand (in January) and MTV Logo. The ball seems to truly be rolling for this group, despite the fact that their style is distinctly underground glam, rather than mainstream radio (while Lady Gaga manages to get away with quite a bit in terms of innuendo, this group takes it to a whole new extreme). They are officially on my radar, and I hope you find their quirky, in-your-face, ruckus, coquettish style to your liking as well.

The group calls New York home, and have released their debut album, Like This, But Sexy, to iTunes. The full record does not include "Monogamous" (FYI), and on the whole, the entire record is a bit (read: very much) more sexually-charged and (most definitely) NSFW. It's kind of impossible to articulate the "shock" factor of the full album...it's kind of like if Jeffree Star slept with Soft Cell, and didn't mind telling you about it in graphic detail. (By the time you get just a few songs in to "Second Coming", which basically uses religious themes as sexual innuendo, you start to wonder what lines they won't cross. Honestly, I applaud their chutzpah -- just don't say I didn't warn you. To say it verges on pornographic is an understandment, but it is also very obvious the group doesn't take themselves -- or the subject matter -- too serious. It's dark comedy set to laser synth, and no one does it better than these three.)
 
Basically, if you think Katy Perry, Britney Spears or Lady Gaga is risque, Whore's Mascara will be much too much for you. With that said, however, it's gleefully enjoyable in that kitchy, type of way...just not for the faint of heart. Overall, the album's lush and ridiculously electro-synth-tastic, it's just the downright explicit lyrics and blatant innuendo that put a bit of a hitch in your step to make you think "Is this for real?", and I'm sure that's exactly what they want it. To be honest, the album is a bit extreme for my personal tastes on the surface, but that's one of the main reasons why I'm so fascinated -- it's a mirror of the 'underground' culture glorified by vintage Manhattan, remixed and spun right 'round for comedic effect. The lyrics themselves may be extreme for your average pop bunny (like me), but the tongue-in-cheek allusions and darkly sarcastic hues just can't be denied. "Monogamous" makes me excited for their future prospects when they compromise just a tad. I'm interested to see how things fare for them when the television coverage starts to roll.

It's not for everyone, for sure, but can be best described as a sonic adventure, no matter your lifestyle or genre preference. My mind kind of explodes at the possibilities of this group's live performances -- the air must be downright electric. If you're looking for something a bit off the beaten path, but still a fun romp for a night out, look no further than Whore's Mascara. They are proof positive that electro doesn't have to be so damn high-brow and high falootin' all the time.

Take a look at the music video for "Monogamous" below. You can purchase Like This, But Sexy on iTunes here.

My love for the now deceased boy band NLT was spewed often on Melismatic (although not quite enough, I'm afraid), and in fact, the group found themselves the #3 artist I listened to most overall over the course of 2009 (despite not releasing an album or single at all, but rather breaking up...although I'm guessing the breakup was in late 2008, but I could be wrong). Allow me to reminisce one last time (read: probably not) for those of you who are unfamiliar.

It seems that its four former members are doing more now than they were commercially with the group, what with Kevin McHale's surge in popularity thanks to Glee (he plays Artie), Travis Garland's pursuit of solo success via the Interscope label and Papa Joe Simpson, and Justin/JJ Thorne now being 1/4 of "super"-boy band One Call (more on them shortly). However, there is one member of the 'Not Like Them' foursome who's re-emergence was left in question: V Sevani.

 Not Like Them, cerca early 2007. From left to right: Travis Garland, Kevin McHale, V Sevani and Justin/JJ Thorne.

Not unlike the case with Justin/JJ, V was one of the members of NLT who rarely never sang solo, but instead was more beloved by his natural talent in dance and his charisma. He also was the member who founded the group, after he was scouted by manager Chris Stokes (responsible for B2K, among others). However, he is now most associated with the fact that his younger brother, Adam, was a fixture in the dance film 'Step Up 2 the Streets', and started an online dance war/feud with Miley Cyrus (which NLT participated in, around the 1:31-1:43...yeah I'm kinda a stalker -- with a snippet of their routine for "Karma", which Adam choreographed). Obviously, dance runs in the Sevani family. Considering I continue to be an ardent fan of NLT and its respective members (fangirl bias and all), I was interested in hearing where and when Mr. Sevani would pop back into our lives. Fortunately for us, NLT is officially the first of my boy band obsessions in which all of its members continue to pursue music in some form, and I enjoy it all.

Earlier in the year, I had heard word of filming for 'Step Up 3D' (yes, in 3D) would begin production around my neck of NYC, and a (kind of sad) part of me hoped I might see V walking around my neighborhood. This meeting never happened (I met One Call in his stead), and his contribution to the film remains unseen. If anyone knows, please enlighten me. Fast forward to more recently, and V has officially reared his head with a legit YouTube Channel (updated two weeks ago), MySpace, and a Thee Website where you can purchase solo tunage.

If you are like me, and were more distracted interested by Travis Garland's vocals during NLT's actual tenure, the prospect of being V's solo  music is a bit like hearing word that Justin/JJ gets several solos in One Call's music. It's kind of a "What? Really? He Sings?" kind of thing. Rest assured, fandom. V can sing, and sing well. He may be no sanger (::cough::TravisandKevin::cough::), but he is legitimately talented young man, and criminally underappreciated. This (along with Justin's emergence with One Call) makes me a bit frustrated that NLT was trying to pull an *NSYNC (read: only have two lead singers) when they could have been more democratic. Just saying. And unlike the Justin and JC of NLT (you decide which Kev and Trav are), V is taking the road less traveled in the scary solo waters -- rockin' it independant (for now at least).

Anywho, I'm guessing the lead single will be "Cut Me Loose", a vocoded concoction of electro meets pop meets r&pop. It's kind of generic in sound, and at times, his voice gets a bit lost in the mix of sound samples.  His Thee Website also features heavily produced "Twilight" with friend/producer Whitty, which I'm assuming was inspired by the 'Twilight' saga (his former bandmate Travis Garland also penned an ode to the saga -- not that they are bad songs, they are both lovely in very different ways, it's just something I'd rather...not talk about). I am rather intrigued by hype single "Love Pop". It's a vocal mashup of various pop songs, with the first verse and chorus featuring songs released more recently, and the second verse and bridge being "older " pop songs (timeline-wise). It's less autotuned, and shows off more of a vocal range, highlighting V's naturally gruffer, grittier (but still very pop) voice.

Honestly, I'm surprised this mini-mixtape idea was come up with before, and I really like it (and fits in quite nicely with my previous post about DJ Earworm, no?). Something similar was done by Chicago DJ/aspiring singer-songwriter J.Roman, dubbed "Slow Jam Mixtape" (complete with video released last year which feels like eons after the song debuted), but it didn't go into the depth that V does. It also doesn't hurt that I'm a pretty big fan of just about every song he references. Touche, Mr. Sevani (and, his producer Whitty, to boot). You are officially on my 'One to Watch' list for 2010. Continue to make us NLT fangirls proud. Oh, and if this is any indicator of your personal music taste (and I'm hoping it is), we are seriously compatible. Call me. ;)

Mariah Carey "Obsessed" -- Kings of Leon "Use Somebody" -- Kings of Leon "Sex On Fire" -- Jason DeRulo "Whatcha Say" -- Justin Bieber "One Time" -- David Guetta/Akon "Sexy Bitch" -- Jay Sean "Down" -- Drake "Best I Ever Had" -- Lil Wayne "I Want This Forever" -- Britney Spears "3" -- Beyonce "Sweet Dreams" -- Lady Gaga "Paparazzi" -- Iyaz "Replay" -- The Police "Every Breath You Take" -- Usher "U Make Me Wanna" -- Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" -- *NSYNC "I Want You Back" -- Next/Blue "Too Close" -- Red Hot Chilli Peppers "Otherside" -- Bon Jovi "Livin' On A Prayer" -- Rockwell/Michael Jackson "Somebody's Watching Me" -- Bon Jovi "You Give Love A Bad Name" -- Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" -- The Police "Roxanne" -- Journey "Don't Stop Believin'" -- The Beatles "Yesterday" -- Rick Springfield "Jessie's Girl" -- Brian McKnight "Back At One" -- KC & JoJo "All My Life -- KC & JoJo "Crazy" -- Bob Marley "No Woman, No Cry" -- Destiny's Child "Say My Name" -- TLC "Waterfalls"

2009 was one for the books for me, both here with Melismatic and offline as well. Here's to hoping that 2010 will continue to bring new and exciting prospects, not just to me but to you, too. I wanted to post this on New Year's Eve, but didn't get the chance. It seems several of my friends have beaten me to the punch, but it's worth mentioning again for those of you who may not have heard it already.

DJ Earworm is a mash-up remixer, who has an uncanny ability to mix together not just few songs, but a ridiculously lengthy amount of songs. He first jumped onto my radar in late 2007, when he debuted his first Billboard Year-End mashup that he dubbed "United State of Pop" (set to the structure backing of Rihanna's "Umbrella"), taking the top 25 or so songs of the year ranked by Billboard and mixed them into one big orgy of pop goodness. He has continued the tradition in 2008 with "United State of Pop 2008 (Viva La Pop)" (set to the the backing of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" and Rihanna's "Disturbia"), and now, he returns with his third installment: "United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It On The Pop)", with the majority of the piece resting on Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" and Jamie Foxx's "Blame It".

Earworm has a gift of mixing things together that, when the prospect is initially given, you really couldn't begin to fathom these popular songs fitting together like puzzle pieces. But they do, to the point that they sound like they should have been like that from go. In terms of the 2009 remix, I was particularly struck by the similarities between Beyonce's "Halo" and Miley Cyrus's "The Climb." What stood out most to you?

The best part? DJ Earworm is a giving soul. All of his mashups are available for free on his website. If you're interested in some of his other mashups aside from the year-end megamashups, I highly suggest "Heartless (In A Bottle)", mixing The Fray's cover of Kanye's "Heartless" with The Police's "Message In A Bottle", and "Just Dance to New Order", mixing Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" with New Order's "Confusion" (with bits and bobs of Mary J Blige, Debelah Morgan and Queen thrown in for good measure). They have to be my faves.

I was also pointed in the direction of this fun rap send-off to 2009 by Skillz, in which he recounts several of the more popular and prominent events in pop culture that happened in 2009 in a clever and sometimes funny way. It's definitely worth a listen...

I'm capping off the original 'Back In the Day' series with a look at Billboard's Charts, and comparing how 2009 stacks up to 1999. In semi-related news, congrats are deserved toward Ms. Ke$ha, who scored her first #1 with debut "Tik Tok" -- joining the ranks of Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga in hitting the peak spot with her debut single, as well as being the first official #1 of the new decade.

Here is how the Hot 100 shaped up in the final "official" week of 2009:

10. Jay Sean - Down (feat. Lil' Wayne)
9. Britney Spears - 3
8. The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway
7. Jason DeRulo - Whatcha Say
6. David Guetta - Sexy Chick (feat. Akon)
5. Owl City - Fireflies
4. Iyaz - Replay
3. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
2. Ke$ha - Tik Tok
1. Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)

Only two of these artists represented were relevant back in 1999 in terms of the Hot 100, and considering how disposable pop artists are starting to become in terms of long term careers, that number is a feat in itself. Those two are obviously Britney and Hova. Jay-Z made his official debut in 1996, and his major label bow the following year, while Ms. Spears joined the Chart Pack in that illustrious year that was 1999 itself. Yes, its arguable that the Black Eyed Peas were also apart of the scene at the time, as they formed back in 1995, but we would not see the current lineup (read: including Fergie) until 2003.

Now, let's compare to the last week of 1999:

10. Kevon Edmonds - 24/7
9. Blaque - Bring It All To Me
8. Donell Jones - U Know What's Up
7. Missy Elliot - Hot Boyz (feat. NAS, EVE and Q-Tip)
6. Marc Anthony - I Need To Know
5. Whitney Houston - My Love Is Your Love
4. Savage Garden - I Knew I Loved You
3. Jessica Simpson - I Wanna Love You Forever
2. Brian McKnight - Back At One
1. Santana - Smooth (feat. Rob Thomas)

THOUGHTS:
While there are no overlaps in terms of represented artists, there are allusions and stark differences.

#10.

2009: Lady Gaga - LoveGame

1999: Chante Moore - Chante's Got A Man

Thoughts: Strange to say that ten years feels like a million years ago, but when you see the differences between these two, it's hard not to feel that way.

#9.

2009: Sean Kingston - Fire Burning

1999: JT Money - Who Dat (feat. Sole)

#8.

2009: Kid CuDi - Day N' Nite

1999: Blaque - 808

#7.

2009: Keri Hilson - Knock You Down (feat. Ne-Yo and Kanye West)

1999: Shania Twain - That Don't Impress Me Much

Thoughts: What happened to Shania and her stampede of hits? While she may be MIA on the Hot 100, her brigade of tunes still sound awesome to me today.

#6.

2009: Beyonce - Halo

1999: Sixpence None the Richer - Kiss Me

Thoughts: Couple "Kiss Me" with the kind of atrocious (in a good guilty pleasure way) teen flick She's All That and you pretty much have a good look into my obsessions (other than teen pop) in 1999. Remember back when Freddie Prinze Jr. was a hearthrob and we all assumed he'd have a ridiculously long and varied career? Funny how hindsight reads 20/20.

#5.

2009: Jamie Foxx - Blame It (feat. T-Pain)

1999: 702 - Where My Girls At?

Thoughts: I may not have truly understood its meaning back then, but that 702 cut was my jam. It's kind of the ultimate of the waggin' your finger/shakin' your head/you don't touch my man songs. Am I right?

#4.

2009: Jeremih - Birthday Sex

1999: Maxwell - Fortunate

Thoughts: If Jeremih (more like Jere-meh) was expecting me to draw some kind of conclusive correlation between his mirror position with Maxwell, he is sadly mistaken. What happened to good R&B? Oh right -- it stayed far away from the Hot 100. ::sigh::

#3.

2009: Pitbull - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)

1999: TLC - No Scrubs

#2.

2009: Lady Gaga - Poker Face

1999: Ricky Martin - Livin' La Vida Loca

Thoughts: Ricky and Gaga have one thing in common: they crept up on an unsuspecting public and dazzled. I remember a fair share of Ricky Martin school folders and binders during this time. I much preferred my Joshua Jackson folder. (Oh yeah, that really happened. The shame!) Let's hope Gaga's reign lasts a bit longer than Ricky's did, por favor.

#1.

2009: The Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow

1999: Jennifer Lopez - If You Had My Love

Thoughts: People may scoff at J.Lo now, but she's accomplished so much since her above mentioned debut single just ten scant years ago. Not only did she have chart topping songs and albums, she had movies at the top of the heap as well. Hardly a title to be given easily, and for that fact alone, she should get much more props that she is currently getting. Perhaps if she made tracks more like this and "Waiting For Tonight" over throwing on her fave shoes, I might see my excitement for her projects reignite to where it was in '99.

And finally, let's take a look back at where the music world sat at the beginning of 1999, compared to a year ago today in early January 2009...

#10.

2009: Beyonce - If I Were A Boy

1999: Faith Evans - Love Like This

#9.

2009: T.I. - Whatever You Like

1999: Brandy - Have You Ever?

#8.

2009: Kanye West - Love Lockdown

1999: Total - Trippin' (feat. Missy Elliot)

#7.

2009: Taylor Swift - Love Story

1999: Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)

Thoughts: Regarding the 2009 chart, not only are Kanye and Taylor back to back, both songs have "Love" in their title. Funny how much a year changes things. (I know what you're thinking -- OK Mel, I'ma let you finish, but this whole Taylor/Kanye thing has been beat to death and I wish you'd stop. Last time I'll mention it, I swear.) But in regards to the 1999 chart, this has to be, to this day, one of my absolute favorite songs. It's such a shame Lauryn hasn't come back to thrill us again.

#6.

2009: Katy Perry - Hot N Cold

1999: Shania Twain - From This Moment On

#5.

2009: Britney Spears - Womanizer

1999: 98 Degrees - Because of You

Thoughts: Ah, what a comparison. Aside from both being apart of the Teen Pop music (although 98 Degrees could be labeled more of a R&B group than a typical "boy band" during this time), I actually saw the pair perform together (and 98 Degrees headlined) at the New York State Fair back in 1999. PYT and No Authority opened. Holy flashback is right. ::rushes off to blare "Can I Get Your Number" about six times back to back shamelessly::

#4.

2009: Kanye West - Heartless

1999: Britney Spears - ...Baby, One More Time

Thoughts: Just shy of a comparison against herself, "Baby" remains to be Brit's most iconic song, and as much as I didn't want to admit it post 2000, I still really love this song. And you know what? I don't really mind admitting it now.

#3.

2009: Lady Gaga - Just Dance (feat. Colby O'Donis)

1999: Divine - Lately

Thoughts: "Lately" peaked at #1 in late '98. Nearly ten years later, one of the members of Divine auditioned for a spot on "American Idol". And was cut during the Hollywood Round. The pop world is a fickle place indeed. Funny, I don't really recall a backlash against her like there was for Joanna Pacitti this past season...

#2.

2009: T.I. - Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna)

1999: Deborah Cox - Nobody's Supposed To Be Here

Thoughts: "Nobody" still sounds passionate, raw and emotional when its spun on repeat on occasion in my iTunes. I was actually supposed to see Cox perform live in Broadway's Aida in 2003, but we saw her understudy instead. I'm still kinda p-oed about it.

#1.

2009: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

1999: R. Kelly - I Am Your Angel

Thoughts: I believe this song was re-recorded for pop radio as a duet with Celine Dion (still on a high in terms of American popular from '97's "My Heart Will Go On"), and I much prefer this version to Kelly's original. No matter how much I may despise R.Kelly for his choices now, it's hard for me to admit that this wasn't a perfectly good ballad.

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Do any of these songs spark any fond/not-so-fond memories from your past? Fill me in!

It's my second to last 'Back In the Day' of 2009, a concept special I devised in early 2009 to post flashback thoughts about hits from 1999 (ten years ago), and their effect on my life's soundtrack. It's a special I enjoy very much (although I somewhat under-used it), so I fully intend to continue it in 2010, lazily cleverly titled 'Back In the Day 2.0', featuring vignettes of songs released in 2000. Yet another great year for pop. Moving on...

The final "Back In the Day" feature post is for the "I Gotta Feeling" of 1999. I suppose that's a good way to put it in 'noughties' terms. Kind of. It was the biggest hit of the year in many ways, and also fairly summed up how America felt on the whole. While in 2009 we wanted to shake off our economic woes and reassure ourselves about what is truly important, in 1999 we had few national troubles to shake the everday American to their core, and life as a whole was much more "Smooth". Can you guess what I'm talking about? Aww yeah, I'm talking...

At the time, the collaboration of Santana and Matchbox Twenty's frontman Rob Thomas (during his first dalliance with the solo spotlight) seemed a bit...strange. However, "Smooth" broke through in big time, and paved the way for Thomas's solo career, as well as launched a revival of Santana's back catalog all-the-while boosting their latest effort, Supernatural, into the stratosphere in terms of sales. It also has the bragging rights of being the last #1 of the 1990's decade, as well as being both Thomas' and (surprisingly) Santana's first.

"Smooth" was the lead single off Santana's Supernatural, which featured many other high profile artists at the time and went on to sell over fifteen million copies worldwide, and gained them a slew of Grammy Awards. The song held the #1 position for twelve weeks, and the following single, another favorite of mine called "Maria Maria" (which featured The Product G & B on vocals -- most people tend to forget them) which was co-written/co-produced by Wyclef Jean (still riding high on The Fugees love, pre "Hips Don't Lie"), also had a large stay atop the chart. The latter was a personal favorite for the references and allusions to "West Side Story", my overall favorite Broadway musical ever -- and my love for the tragic and classic love story truly starting fueling back in '99 as it was.

While I already was a bit of a fan of Matchbox Twenty upon "Smooth"s release thanks to their brilliant debut in 1996, Yourself or Someone Like You (a true staple of 1990's albums, for sure), my love for Thomas and Co. swelled exponentially after the song's mammoth takeover. My knowledge of Santana was not as understood in 1999, but I've grown to truly appreciate them, especially during my high school years post "Smooth", in particular their cover of Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va" after we beat the song to death in Pep Band. Oh, the memories.

Both "Smooth" and "Maria Maria" had an unapologetic Latin feel thanks to Santana's well-noted and well-documented flair for latin rock and rhythm, helping fuel the fire that was 1999's embrace of what is now dubbed "The Latin Explosion"...or should I say, "Explosión" (being the final #1 of the year that also paid homage with Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca", Marc Anthony's "I Need To Know", Enrique Iglesias' "Bailamos" and Jennifer Lopez' "If You Had My Love/Waiting For Tonight", amongst others). It was new territory for Thomas (who I do not believe is Hispanic himself, but his wife is, hence the refrences to her being his "muñequita" -- a Spanish term of endearment, usually translating to "doll" or "sweetheart"). It's trademark guitar groove is instantly recognizable to this day, and remains to be a spotlight for collaborative music of all times.

It's pretty much agreed upon within the music community that "Smooth" is one of those songs that will be most well-remembered long after all of the other pop cheese has faded into the deep recesses of our minds twenty years from now. It's the type of song that will come on the "retro" radio stations in the year 2020 and we all will look back on fondly, singing along to "My Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa". The lyrics are a true testament to the talent that is Rob Thomas, written as a loving ode to his wife whom he had recently wed, and that coupled with Carlos Santana's searing and yet tender guitar riffs, make it a bit like a diamond in the rough of arguably forgettable (but still thoroughly enjoyable for those of us who were the right demographic at the time...read: yours truly) pop music that overflowed the US radio waves during this time.

"Smooth" was the type of song that transcended radio format, genre and demographic, appealing to a vastly different amount of music enthusiasts and sparking several cover versions in the ten years since it's rise to prominence. It remains a standout part of Rob Thomas' setlist, and was one of my favorite performances when I saw him live in 2006. The physical cardboard single (see artwork above) fit in surprisingly nice admist my sea of *NSYNC import singles from Germany. And it continues to be one of 1999's greatest efforts, and a song I'm definitely not afraid to put on vicious repeat in 2010. If only I could find a man who could write something as beautiful as this for me. The lyrics aren't just lyrics, they are fluid poetry in motion. That in counterpoint to Carlos' guitar is a supreme match made in heaven. I defy you to challenge that statement. Take another listen and tell me it doesn't feel as epic as it did then. Can you imagine this being on the radio now?