Or particularly exciting. Counter-thread to http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4276181

The only pop album that really excited me last year was Kelis' (unless Weezer are now classed as a "pop" band rather than a guitar/rock band?). Previous years I've gone googoo for Gaga, lost my marbles with Gwen Stefani and seen many a thread here loving Sugababes, Rihanna and even Katy Perry (her last album was all filler and 'Fireworks' doesn't seem sound like something she'd normally do - and was hard to separate when I heard it on Capital amid Rihanna, Cheryl, Gaga and about four other things played back-to-back that sounded like the same song with uneventful verses to make the small chorus hook sound big (not to mention identikit production).

Whereas this year Jessie J is certifiably rubbish and Clare McGuire doesn't seem to even be liked by those who were tipping her last year. There's been that horrid onslaught of bellowing women like Florence and the likes of Little Boots, Ladyhawke and Marina neither captivated the public's imagination or delivered on what some folks promised - nor made truly great pop albums, let alone more than one half-hit singles, despite the help of co-writers. Meanwhile, folks like Annie have had to resort to writing songs for other people.

As I said in a previous thread, 2010 didn't really have an 'Umbrella' (despite the-dream who wrote it releasing his own record) http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4271045

p.s. did the Big Boi album get a lot of daytime R1 play? http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/9724aa19-fdf9-49d0-9f9d-944e462e2a5c