Here's my opinion of a few artists/tracks/albums that deserved to have done better:
Brandy. Her comeback this year was extraordinary. She was completely overlooked however, and had her strongest effort be shoved back in her face. Not cool.
Joss Stone. An extremely talented young woman, and yet America ultimately gave her the cold shoulder. Has Joss ever been connected to the word "hit" in the same sentence as "America"?
(Not including "not a hit" ).
Maria Mena. Her CD was one of the best I've heard in a while, but "You're The Only One" did horribly, and her label didn't bother to release another single. That's not cool.
Toby Lightman. "Devils And Angels" hit #38, and "Real Love" got to #41. Bad. For someone as talented as Toby, these songs deserved to have been top 10 smashes. Her CD, "Little Things", peaked at #200. That's bad. Not to mention, her label hasn't been a good label, not in any way.
Dido. She had a bad year in America. Yes, "White Flag" was huge on the Adult charts, but it only got to #18 (I think) on Pop, which was awfully low for such a great song. It should've been a #1 across the board! And then after "White Flag", Dido's had no luck. "Don't Leave Home" did poorly, as did "Sand In My Shoes". Both should've at least been top 10 hits.
Sarah McLachlan. She came back strongly. "Afterglow" was an exceptional CD. But she didn't get the attention she deserved. "Fallen" was a minor hit, "Stupid" did badly, and "World On Fire" has done badly. "Fallen" should've been a top 20 hit on the Pop charts. The same for the others.
Alanis Morissette. I felt her CD was really good, but I'm obviously in the minority, since the sales don't agree. Her singles ("Everything, "Eight Easy Steps") were both very good, but were overlooked. They deserved more success over on Pop, to say the least.
Nelly Furtado. Her CD, "Folklore" was extremely good. And her singles, particularly "Try", were awesome. Nelly deserved more from America.
Fefe Dobson. Her CD, and her singles, were both very good, but got no attention on Pop.
Sarah Hudson. Very talented, but has had no success.
Rachael Yamagata. Extremely talented young woman. Easily deserves to be huge.
Ben Jelen. Talented young man. His CD and single deserved better.
Katy Rose. Katy is...amazing. She is easily one of the best lyricists out there right now. Her CD, "Because I Can", is very good, something everyone can relate to from some point in their lives. Her singles, "Overdrive" and "I Like", should've been top 10 smashes on Pop. To say that they were overlooked would be putting it mildly.
Tamyra Gray. Very talented, with a fabulous CD. Did nothing in America though.
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Ryan Cabrera - "Take It All Away". Very good CD. However, the numbers it's been raking in haven't been so good, unfortunately.
Christina Milian - "It's About Time". It's a fun, and good R&B CD. It should've done better.
Black Eyed Peas - "Elephunk". This CD has many good, fun, dance tracks. It should've done better.
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Sheryl Crow - "Light In Your Eyes". Very good song. No Pop success.
Gwen Stefani - "What You Waiting For". This should've been a top 5 smash.
Trapt - "Echo". This should've been a top 10 on Pop.
Lenny Kravitz - "Where Are We Runnin'". Great song. Should've been huge.
Lloyd ft. Ashanti - "Southside". Awesome ballad. Should've done better on all formats.
Dashboard Confessional - "Vindicated". This was a great Rock song. It should've been a top 10 on Pop.
Hilary Duff - "Fly". This song, while it wasn't great, was still very good, and held a very positive message. It should've hit the top 10. It definitely had the potential.
Lindsay Lohan - "Rumors". Good, fun, dance track. Should've been a shoe-in for the top 10.
Cherie - "I'm Ready". Good song. Should've hit the top 20, at least.
Janet Jackson - "All Nite (Don't Stop)". One of the best dance tracks of the year. Should've been huge.
Kylie Minogue - "Slow". Also one of the best dance tracks of the year. Deserved more.
Rooney - "I'm Shakin'". Very fun track. Could've been a top 10, but a top 20 peak would've been enough.
Jessica Simpson - "Angels". Good ballad. Should've hit the top 15. A peak of #13 would've been enough.
Sugababes - "Hole In The Head". Top 10, easily. Didn't quite happen that way, now, did it?
Counting Crows - "Accidentally In Love". Good song. Should've hit the top 20.
Blink-182 - "I Miss You". Easily a top 5 smash. They had to settle for less, though, huh?!
Liz Phair - "Extraordinary". Great song. Should've been as big as "Why Can't I?", at least, although that one deserved a higher peak.
Kelis - "Trick Me". Good song. No success on Pop. After "Milkshake", it should've garnered enough to peak in the 30's, at the very least, but it didn't. Pop just wrote her off.
Monica - "U Should've Known Better". Good ballad. Easily overlooked though. Deserved a top 20 peak on Pop, at least.
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I'm sure there are tons more, but I'll just leave it at this. I feel 2004 wasn't such a good year, musically. It could've done better with some things. Some hits were well-deserved ("Pieces Of Me", "Leave (Get Out)", "On The Way Down", "Toxic", "This Love"), but others should have done nothing at all ("Sunshine", "How Come", "Heaven", "Gigolo"), and others shouldn't have been so big ("Over And Over", "Drop It Like It's Hot", "Just Lose It"). It was filled with ups and downs, but I guess that's normal.
I just wish some of the artists I've listed have more success in the coming years. I definitely feel they deserve it.
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These are all just MY opinions. Nothing more, nothing less. I ask that you respect my opinion, whether or not you agree with it.