Bieber Brings Back Bubble Gum

In a modern music landscape dominated by soulful divas and hip-hop rappers, the joys of seriously old school Bubble Gum Pop are making a surprising comeback with the emergence of Justin Bieber.  This Canadian wunderteen started as a YouTube sensation but is now taking on the pop world.  

He gigged on David Letterman last week with his insanely catchy pop confection "Baby", which sounds like a song conceived in the 60's, scored in the 80's and recorded in the '00s.  It has a hook that gets stuck in your head and won't let go...in a good way, of course.  Baby, baby, baby...ooooo, ohhhhh.  It might as well be The Supremes. 

Anyway, Justin's clean-teen image, of course, has made him a hit with the tween girls.   And, like many male pop idols, he looks more like a girl than a guy....cute but not too threatening.  In his video for "Baby", a Bollywood-esque dance piece set in a bowling alley, he reminds me of the butchy Mary Stuart Masterson in "Some Kind Of Wonderful" or a very young KD Lang.  (Apparently, others have mistaken him for a lesbian as well.)  

Anyway, he's storming the USA in 2010 with this and other bubbly hits to follow.