There has only been one constant in 55 years of a life in music -well two actually - a great voice singing a great song. Apart from that nothing matters. So whether it is Alexandra Burke or Mary Chapin Carpenter, Cheryl Cole or Alison Krauss, Leona Lewis or Kathy Mattea, Alex Parks or Celine Dion, Lucinda Williams or Dusty Springfield, it doesn't matter. Why the snobbery? Why the worthiness? This is the pop business. Pop = popular, popular = lots of people like you. I like all these ladies' voices and I love the new Alexandra and Cheryl singles and I don't care whether they've been manufactured or not. Colonel Tom Parker manufactured Elvis; Jack Good manufactured Cliff Richard, Larry Parnes manufactured Billy Fury, Simon Cowell started to manufacture Leona Lewis, then handed her over to Clive Davis to finish the job.
In 30 years within the UK music industry, I could count on one hand the A&R men who understood popular taste. Wonder why Mr Cowell is so hugely wealthy? He cornered that unfashionable music niche - started with Robson & Jerome, moved into the boy/girl bands, and now, like him or not, he knows what the general public wants.
There's room at the music table for all guests with a great voice and a great song. I'll be playing "Bad Boys" probably every half hour for the next few days, then it will go into the vault. But that's the wonder of music - you're hooked, you have to keep listening but then you discard it and move on. Thank goodness there are as many great songs and singers in 2009 as there were in 1959.
Who disagrees?
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