Good new fun pop?

[Love Plastic Love]

Does anyone have any recommendations for newish (as in within a year or two old) good pop cds?
And by pop, I mean fun, dancey music (but not dance)
More along the vein of the Sugababes, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson type stuff
(but not any three of those, or Hanson, Hilary Duff, Stacie Orrico because I either already own or have burned)

I am going on a cd spree on Tuesday and I need a good pop cd because the three other cds I have chosen are alternative or rock so

[Matt4319]

The only thing I can really think of is M2M's "The Big Room" from 2002 (but the highest endorsement I can give is that I didn't hate any of the songs I heard on the album because I never listened to the whole thing more than once through). I loved "Everything", though, and it got a 4 1/2-star review from All Music Guide.

From the very cover of M2M's second album, The Big Room, it's clear that our little girls have matured. On their first album, they were just girls - they looked like young girls on the cover and they made music that was sweet and innocent, the sound of pre-teens making polished pop. In an age of tarted-up, sexually-charged teen-pop, that kite didn't fly, even if the music on their debut was rather charming. Still, one of the rules of pop is that it needs to sell, and if it doesn't, a change is gonna come - something that is crystal clear on The Big Room. The duo still look young, but they're looking worldly on the cover, with lots of makeup, crimped hair, fairly low-cut tops. Open it up, and Marit looks like a worldlier Jessica Simpson, while Marion in her tight "Fabulous" tank top seems like a tamer Eliza Dushku. Neither are as trampy as Willa Ford, but after the deliberately sweet charms of the debut, the marketing feels nearly as shameless. Fortunately, the music proves that M2M still has considerable charms - charms that have even grown, actually. This isn't as girly as the first album but, contrary to the photos, this is hardly sex-centric teen-pop either. Actually, it sounds like the work of Jewel's accomplished younger sisters, girls that can sing and write melodies, given producers and backing bands that can turn it into rather irresistible mainstream pop. But there's a problem with that statement - it gives the impression that Marion and Marit simply the puppets of their producers, pretty faces selling readymade songs, and that's not really the case. Marion Raven has a writing credit on every song here, writing three herself; Marit has no less than eight credits here. Unlike the teen-popsters most critics defame for not writing their own songs (a debatable criteria for artistic merit in any case), M2M writes their own songs, and they write well. No, they don't push boundaries and sometimes their lyrics betray their age, but as crafted songs, they're as winning as melodic as Jewel's best work, and this is a more consistent album than anything she's done outside of This Time. It's a lush, sweet, engaging album, one that works as well upon close listening as it does as background music - which is what mainstream, adult-oriented pop should do. If M2M needs to play up their good looks to sell an album this pleasing, so be it - this is an album that deserves to find its audience, even through tactics as blatant as that.

You might not be able to find it though; I don't even think it hit the Billboard 200.

[KikiMets]

Play, "Replay"

[Love Plastic Love]

I actually own that cd Matt and enjoyed it for a short time (it was a good light fun poppy cd, but not good enough to last that long-not that I regret buying it)

Thanks for the recommendations, anyone else?
At another board I have had 2-3 other people recommend Play to me. Might be a sign

[George Tropicana]

KikiMets said:

Play, "Replay"

Damn it! Lol, you beat me to it. When I saw the title, I already thought PLAY's "Replay." Now that was a good pop album. I would NOT recommend PLAY's horrible follow-up, "Don't Stop The Music," which was released in March. Their first album was OKAY, but they only released a mini-album in the US for it (that's like 6 tracks, not worth it).

I would also recommend RubyBlue's "Beyond Pink." It was never released commercially but plenty of promo copies are available on Half.com for a low price. I wished these girls could've made it big because the record is smart pop.

A*Teens' "Teen Spirit": Pop music done right. Unfortunate they couldn't follow up the record with something just as good. This album is an absolute MUST for pop music fans. Entertainment Weekly gave it a great review. Swedish pop rocks.

Other recommendations:
Gareth Gates, "What My Heart Wants To Say"
Hilary Duff, "Metamorphosis"

[bluenote]

Kylie Minogue - "Fever"  This album is pop music at its finest.  Non stop dance grooves that will be sure to take you HIGHERRR!


Edens Crush - "Pop Stars" Another great album. It did not too well, I guess reality tv couldnt sell albums back then like they do now but this was a good pop album. "no Drama" "get over yourself" "glamorous life" and "i wanna be free" are some stand out tracks.

[Gorminako]

Any of the Blue CD's, but unfortunately you most likely won't find them at your neighborhood CD store if you live in the US. Their songs are consistently melodic, catchy, rhythmic, and put you in a great mood.

[KikiMets]

Teen Spirit was a great album. I got one with a bonus track, "Don't Even Know Your Name"-man, that song just takes me right back to that 9th grade unrequited crush. My other favorite tracks were "Bouncing Off The Ceiling (Upside Down)," "Firefly" and "Slammin' Kind Of Love."

Popstars was also a pretty good album. I enjoyed "What's Good 4 The Goose, "It Wasn't Me," "You Know I Can," and the cover of Sheila E's "Glamorous Life."

[MusicMan88]

Take my advice:

Two Loons For Tea - Looking For Landmarks

The first single from that album, Blue Suit, is one of the best pop songs I've ever heard. And the whole album is good, melodic pop-rock.

www.twoloons.com

[j]

Lene Marlin! You won't regret it.

[George Tropicana]

numb said:

Lene Marlin! You won't regret it.

I don't really dance to her music... but her album is very good for singer-songwriter rock/pop.

I think every copy has the bonus A*Teens' track "Don't Even Know Your Name." I agree, I love that track.. the lyrics are very teen-appropriate!

[strong4PMB!]

Well if we're starting to go back to 2001, then I recommend Myra's self-titled debut. It has a lot of catchy songs, plus really, (really,) good ballads, like the Diane Warren-penned "Wishing On The Same Star." It's even better in Spanish, on "Milagros," also released in 2001.

Also, if you can get a hold of R-Angels' debut album, "Where's The Party?," from 2000, I would also highly recommend it.

Also unreleased, Angela Via's debut album had a lot of fun pop on it. 2000, though. Sorry if it's too old.

Kaci's "I'm Not Anybody's Girl" from 2002! But that may be too non-pop. After all, she has that rockin' remix of "Kiss Me Crazy" on it! ;)