We live in an exciting time.

We live in an era in which art can be expressed online, for the world to see, in a marketplace that will actually reward talent. Sure, this process is highly subjective and undefinable, but the success Colbie Caillat had in 2007 is nothing short of an Internet dream.

The top unsigned artist on MySpace.com for much of the year, Caillat comes in at No. 15 on my list of 2007's best songs with "Bubbly," a song that is at once highly clever and potentially, mind-numbingly annoying.

I don't say that to degrade the daughter of Ken Caillat, who co-produced a pair of huge Fleetwood Mac albums in the 1970s. However, Bubbly was quite the ubiquitous song in 2007. While it got its legs on the Web, it's been done and overdone on mainstream radio.

Nevertheless, this single and other tunes off her CD, CoCo, prove she's got some potential as a songwriter. If I'm forced to make a choice between Caillat and Sara Bareilles, who I featured at No. 16, I'd take Bareilles on any number of fronts.

Bareilles' songwriting, vocals, musicianship and potential dwarf Caillat's. However, "Bubbly" was 10 times the hit that "Love Song" was, and for good reason. It's really a perfect little sweet pop song, and if Caillat can write some more of those, she'll be around a long, long time.

See others:

No. 25 - Everyday America - Sugarland

No. 24 - Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

No. 23 - Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert

No. 22 - Colorful - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

No. 21 - Never Again - Kelly Clarkson

No. 20 - Streetcorner Symphony - Rob Thomas

No. 19 - Two - Ryan Adams

No. 18 - Penny On A Train Track - Ben Kweller

No. 17 - Paralyzer - Finger Eleven

No. 16 - Vegas - Sara Bareilles

When it came to pick my No. 16 song of 2007, I found it hard to choose between Sara Bareilles tunes.

For those of you unfamiliar with the California native, who gained modest fame this year with the VH1-driven song simply titled, "Love Song," you're missing out on one of the real yet-to-be-huge talents in the industry.

Bareilles doesn't have a lick of formal training, which makes her ascent all the most surprising considering her musicianship and songwriting ability are full of potential. She's not one of these artists we've tracked for years; all we have to go on is what she's released this year.

However, so far, it's been so good that it makes me wonder where this chanteuse has been all my life.

And when it came time to pick between "Love Song" and a tune I featured earlier this year, called "Vegas," I went with the latter because of its dark undertones and jazzy vibe. Plus, that she's playing this live in the video and that she sounds so damned good made this a no-brainer, even though "Love Song" was much more prevalent on the adult contemporary landscape for 2007.

But because I want to encourage the world to listen to great new music, I'm posting them both. First, it's "Love Song," and then it's No. 16 for 2007: "Vegas".

OK, here's "Love Song," done live on the Late, Late Show ...

And, now "Vegas" ...

See others:

No. 25 - Everyday America - Sugarland

No. 24 - Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

No. 23 - Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert

No. 22 - Colorful - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

No. 21 - Never Again - Kelly Clarkson

No. 20 - Streetcorner Symphony - Rob Thomas

No. 19 - Two - Ryan Adams

No. 18 - Penny On A Train Track - Ben Kweller

No. 17 - Paralyzer - Finger Eleven

I spent a good chunk of Sunday trying to record a video for my latest composition, a tune called "Wasted Me." However, I'm having a hard time getting my tripod to stay stable, and I've checked everything.

Alas, I got it the best I could, and it's kind of unfortunate because this is one of my favorite songs of 2007, well, that I've written. The song seems to be pretty transparent in that it's about a man who picks up a woman while "wasted."

However, I really mean the song to be much more abstract than a state of being under the influence of booze or drugs. And it doesn't really even necessarily pertain to a man picking up a woman. If I want to get all esoteric and bare my soul, which I think songwriters are supposed to do, it's about what I consider to be my two predominant personalities.

One personality is the guy who works hard at the newsroom, who's kind to people, who believes in the right politics, who works out, who's spiritual -- all the good stuff.

The other personality is "wasted me," the part of me that earnestly desires to be a bum. Not just a bum, but a a bum jerk. He's a grump, a braggart. He's the devil who sits on our shoulder, if you will.

Anyhow, musically, I had envisioned this as kind of a Michael McDonald, Steely Dan type of tune. However, Toad tells me it reminds him of Todd Rundgren, and it isn't the first time I've heard this comparison with my work. I've never intended it, if true, but I personally find it to be a compliment of the highest order because I dig everything about Todd Rundgren, although I am only a novice when it comes to his music. Let's just say that what I've heard, I really like.

So, give it a look, a listen and feel free to let me know that you love it. The ego can always use a boost.

As always, video is first with lyrics below:

"Wasted Me"

© 2007, Ryan Welton


Verse 1:
I believe you been talkin to wasted me
He's full of lies, baloney and hyperbole
You can keep on listenin but believe you me
By 2 a.m. you'll be goin' home with wasted me

Pre-Chorus:
You believe you've landed Mr. Right
But he's so wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong
He's deceiving every single night
But then he's gone, he's gone, he's gone, he's gone, he's gone

Verse 2:
i believe you been talkin to wasted me
he takes manipulation to a new degree
You can keep forgiving, but believe you me
by next week you'll regret meeting wasted me

Pre-Chorus:
But you believe you've landed Mr. Right
But he's so wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong
Letting people down's his way of life
Don't let it go on, go on, go on, go on

whoa, oh, oh

Chorus:
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
wasted me
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
wasted me
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
wasted me
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
wasted me

(interlude, pre-chorus, chorus 2X, puppy dogs, rainbows and wet kisses for everyone)

And at No. 17, I give you The Rainbow Butt Monkeys.

Well, that's what the Canadian band Finger Eleven was originally called before finally hitting it big in America in 2007. However, don't estimate the cleverness of the band's current name.

Finger Eleven. Think about it. Sorry you had to read that, Mom.

Alas, the band released what I think was the catchiest rock song of the year, if not the best. No, there are at least three rock songs on this list superior to "Paralyzer," but there is none with a better hook.

Furthermore, Finger Eleven employed some really excellent production in the verses by creating more of a funk sound with the bass and drums. When I was putting this list together, I factored in songwriting, pop culture relevance and whether or not I dug the song.

And it's the latter factor that warrants "Paralyzer" a spot on this list. Not one time that this song has played on the radio have I not turned up the radio full blast. I'm under no expectation that this band will even have another hit. Frankly, this wreaks of one-hit wonder on two fronts.

First, it's overly catchy, almost novelty-esque. It sets up this expectation among radio listeners that future work will be like this, and I suspect that Finger Eleven fancies itself more of a serious rock band. Just a hunch.

Second, it's way more of a pop tune than a rock tune. The structure of the song, the chords, the melody -- all of it -- are such that, I think, it could have been recorded by any number of acts and been a hit. Perhaps it's for that reason alone that "Paralyzer" deserves a spot on this chart: It's just a solid pop song.

See others:

No. 25 - Everyday America - Sugarland

No. 24 - Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

No. 23 - Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert

No. 22 - Colorful - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

No. 21 - Never Again - Kelly Clarkson

No. 20 - Streetcorner Symphony - Rob Thomas

No. 19 - Two - Ryan Adams

No. 18 - Penny On A Train Track - Ben Kweller

Among this year's Top 25 are not many artists of whom I would consider myself a true fan. There are a couple, and Greenville, Texas, native Ben Kweller is one of them.

The red-headed singer-songwriter got started early, winning honorable mention in a Billboard songwriting contest at age 9, a contest I should note that I am pretty sure I entered with a tune called, "Heaven's Just A Heartbeat Away For You."

Yes, I realize how creepy my supposed love-song title was. However, I was merely 20 at the time, and I've since learned to study great lyrics and lyricists. Fortunately for music lovers, Kweller is just a born prodigy, a talented musician and excellent songwriter in the stylings of other great musical Bens such as Ben Folds and Ben Harper, as well as guys like Elliott Smith.

I wouldn't say that Kweller's work is as deep as, let's say, Ryan Adams' efforts. Adams has a lot of that alt-country, Neil Young, Dylan vibe about him. Ben Kweller's work is fun, more along the lines of the great 1970s singer-songwriters.

Then again, some of his early solo work remind me quite a bit of Weezer. Take for example, his one and only big radio hit, "Wasted and Ready."

His 2007 song called "Penny On A Train Track," which is my No. 18 song of 2007, is just as fun but at the same time more mature musically. It's as if each record Kweller puts out makes me even more curious as to what he'll come up with next.

On the other hand, this song isn't nearly as awesome as the video, which features his grandmother, Bubbie. She's in her 80s, and she danced away while the song played, and I'm pretty sure Ben shot the video with a home camera. Frankly, this should have been a huge, viral YouTube hit, but nobody really saw too much of the video nor heard too much of the song.

It's a shame, not that Ben's career is suffering ... just that he's infinitely more talented than he's given credit for in the industry and among record buyers.

For your viewing pleasure, I give you two versions of my No. 18 song of the year: "Penny On A Train Track," by Ben Kweller.

See others:

No. 25 - Everyday America - Sugarland

No. 24 - Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

No. 23 - Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert

No. 22 - Colorful - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

No. 21 - Never Again - Kelly Clarkson

No. 20 - Streetcorner Symphony - Rob Thomas

No. 19 - Two - Ryan Adams

A couple of notes before I resume my Top 25 for 2007, a countdown that's going to have to really get moving if I'm to finish it before 2009.

First, at Wal-Mart today -- swear to God -- I saw a man spray himself with cologne from a bottle that was supposed to be for sale and, I think, behind a glass counter. I was looking at some skin products, and this guy walks up, hunches down to reach for a box, pulls a bottle from the box, and sprays some cologne onto his hands before slapping his neck and face vigorously.

He put the cologne back and walked away as if I weren't there.

Second, listening to Yahoo's Music Engine, I often take notes on songs I like, so that I can look them up later. Here's one of them, from a band called Office, a little tune called, "Wound Up."

It has a very smart, 80s indie sound. I've said it a billion times, but if you want to hear good new music, forget the radio. You have to seek it out and take chances with stuff you've never heard.

Another quick, random note before the countdown resumes: The NFL Network's decision to triplecast Saturday night's New England-New York game was brilliant because it turned a game in which many were interested into an event that the entire country is likely watching right now.

To be successful in this pop culture world, whether it be on TV, on the radio, on satellite, on the Web, wherever, content creators cannot merely produce good content. They have to turn their shows into events, their sites into destinations, their music into life-soundtracks.

It sounds vile and dirty, like some sort of corporate sell-out, but it is what it is.

To the Oklahoma men's basketball program, welcome back.

Welcome the hell back.

On Dec. 9, I wrote a column questioning coach Jeff Capel, this team and the Oklahoma program. Since then, we've had an ice storm, a mass power outage and a sudden, stunning revival of Sooners hoops.

Being so wrong never felt so good. If being wrong means OU whips out consecutive wins over Arkansas, Gonzaga and West Virginia, then I'll gladly be the village idiot until my days are done.

To wit, OU's 88-82 double-overtime win over the Mountaineers in Charleston, W. Va., was not only the most impressive basketball win for the Sooner men since 2002, it was the most exciting game, in any sport, I had seen since OU's 43-42 loss to Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

The year started on an exciting low note but finished in an ESPN Classic-worthy fashion.

Let's take a quick look back at what I wrote before the great ice age struck the Sooner State:

But after Saturday's 66-62 loss at home to Stephen F. Austin, we now know where OU will be going in the postseason.

Nowhere. This isn't merely an average team; this Sooners' squad is flat-out bad. They have no identity inside with Longar Longar, a player who in all fairness would be a backup at most Division I schools. This team has exactly zero shooters, and their stellar recruit -- Blake Griffin -- has had only a couple of moments of brilliance in his freshman campaign, nothing close to his hype coming in to the 2007 season.

Barring a major collapse, this Oklahoma team is not only good enough to be a tourney team; they're good enough to be a six-seed or better. But let's not get carried away. We've suffered no major injuries. There have been no major suspensions, expulsions or controversies, although an elbow from Longar Longar on a West Virginia player on Saturday will absolutely get reviewed by the NCAA, particularly considering he had been accused of dirty play by Bob Knight a couple years ago.

It was not a dirty elbow, though. It's drama.

Secondly, the Oklahoma team that lost to Stephen F. Austin and to USC and to Memphis was pretty bad. My opinion about this team, at that point, is no different now than it was then, which means perhaps that we have to give it up to Capel.

Longar has become at least a moderate force inside. Austin Johnson has become a floor leader, and he alone improves our field goal percentage by 10 points. And most important, this team seems to pick up and execute Capel's offensive strategies.

On Dec. 9, I wrote:

While Oklahoma has lost to a few teams it shouldn't have in two years, the Sooners have beaten not one team it shouldn't have. There has been no marquee win, no program-building effort and no sign that Capel even has a system in place offensively or defensively.

What we appreciated so much about Kelvin Sampson was how hard his clubs played on defense. But I have news for college basketball fans: Kelvin's defensive approach in 2002 is the standard in 2007. Every team plays super physical, and the game has turned into something more akin to basketrugby under the bucket.

What Kelvin's teams never had, except for 2002, was an offensive identity. In three games, Capel's offensive stamp has begun to take form. That identity to me is an offense that requires the guard to make plays, not shots. To find Blake Griffin open underneath. To get Longar easy shots. To take the focus off other talented players, namely Griffin.

Furthermore, this Oklahoma club is not afraid to be down.

Several times against West Virginia, OU found itself down by 7, only to climb back. To credit Capel's predecessor, Sampson's clubs were always resilient. However, this OU team has an underdog's heart, and that's why -- win or lose -- I appreciated this Oklahoma effort a ton.

Lastly, on Dec. 9, I wrote:

It's not to say that the coach won't become one of the great ones eventually; I'm all about giving Capel plenty of time.

By "plenty of time," I meant that I'd like to see Capel get at least a couple more years to get his system and players in place. Little did I know that he and his team would show us more in three weeks than I would have expected all season.

Sure, Oklahoma could lay an egg against Rice or some underperforming Big 12 foe (OSU, anyone?). Sure, these Sooners could stumble to an NIT bid.

However, with tonight's win over West Virginia, those of us who love Oklahoma men's basketball again have hope. We have a reason to TiVo games instead of just watching them, and those of us who can afford to go to games have reason to go. There is no excuse for Lloyd Noble not being packed next Saturday against Rice.

I don't have any delusions that this club could win a national title. However, any doubts we in the Sooner Nation had about Capel's abilities to get the most out of what he's got, at least in short spurts, should be erased.

Sports is a fickle world, and what seems to be true one day might be completely false 20 days later. Three weeks ago, I thought Oklahoma was going nowhere.

Tonight, I'm pretty sure I'd like our chances to at least hang with anybody. And I really mean anybody.

For breakfast this fine Saturday, I had *two* pieces of peanut butter on toast with Gatorade. That is a return to near perfect normalcy.

Perhaps I never noticed it when I was younger, but the thing about getting sick when you're in your 30s (late 30s at that) is that each bout starts to eat up more time.

Yes, I noted in a previous post that one of my great December 2007 moments was my bout with a stomach virus, or the stomach flu as most call it.

I'm not sure how you can avoid the stomach flu. Sure, I know to wash my hands, blah, blah, blah. I also know not to touch your own eyes, nose or mouth, and I avoid contact with strangers. I don't like handshakes, and I'm not a chronic hugger or kisser.

Bottom line is that, for me, a stomach virus should be a freak occurrence. I hadn't had an actual bout of gastroenteritis in more than a decade, if not two decades. But when it hits, it hits, and it pretty much kills an entire week.

On Monday, I got home from Radio Shack in Henryetta, and I immediately noted that I was cold. Freezing. Achy. By that night, I had a fever, and by the next night, I couldn't hold anything down.

The primary reason I mention all this without grossing you out with details is to note the fine work of my personal physician. I won't name my personal physician under the precept that if he doesn't talk about me by name to strangers, I won't talk about him. He's actually a terrific doc and a good guy. He's given me a prostate exam; we know each other.

But I think he was trying to kill me with the anti-nausea medicine he gave me.

It's called promethazine. To be fair, he said it would make me sleepy. However, I didn't realize it would send me off to the other side of the island (Gilligan reference) for almost 24 hours. This stuff is at least as potent as Benadryl if not more so. Holy moly.

However, to be fair, I didn't get sick at my stomach again, and the virus worked its way out of me, and by late Friday, I was as good as new.

Given that I had zero cable, I watched a lot of my Season 1 DVD of One Tree Hill. I know. WTF does that highly addictive teenybopper show from the WB have anything to do with a stomach virus?

Insert joke here, friends.

No, there was a line in one of the earliest episodes in which Lucas notes how people "promise to appreciate normal so much more when they have the flu," or something like that. I had never really heard that said before, but I had always thought it.

And given that I've had no electricity, no cable, no Web, that I have had to work a ton extra and that I had a stomach virus to cap it off, I'm looking forward to normalcy more than ever.

One good thing about major inconvenience (a.k.a. not having cable or Web) is that it gave me a ton of time to write -- and that I did.

Oh, I got sick, too. That's another story altogether. However, it meant I didn't write as much as I would have liked given the free time I had.

Oh, well. This tune is a virtual love letter to our wonderful providers of electric service in central Oklahoma, OG&E.

Yes, I'm being tongue-in-cheek, and it's certainly not to make light of the very real tragedies some experienced in this month's ice storm. But you know what? Most of us were just inconvenienced, and in the big realm of potential disasters, I'll take inconvenienced any day.

Besides, now that I'm over my stomach virus and now that I have cable and Web and good times, hilarity and puppy dogs, boy am I ready for 2008. So, let the songwriting commence.

This one won't win me any awards, but it's one of my better videos insomuch as my cat, Finley, completely steals the show, particularly at the end when she "meows" on cue.

Video is first with words below.

Dear OG&E
© 2007 Ryan Welton

Verse 1:
Dear OG&E
Did you forget about me?
No electricity
means no cable TV

Pre-hook:
I been spendin' my nights livin' like an eskimo
I been spendin' my days lookin' like a hobo

Verse 2:
Dear OG&E
Everyone on my street
Has electricity
Everybody but me

Chorus:
I'd a pay at least a thousand bucks
To see just one of those little orange trucks
I would thank the lineman to his face
There ain't nothin' wrong with my meter base

Verse 3:
Dear OG&E
I called your people toll-free
they're as nice as can be
to everyone but me

Pre-hook:
I been spendin' my nights livin' like an eskimo
I been spendin' my days lookin' like a hobo

Verse 4:
Dear OG&E
Would it help if I plead?
I'll get down on my knees
Tell me, what do I need?

Just a quick update on the electrical nightmare that has been my December:

Work crews have made good progress on clearing branches from my driveway, and a professional tree remover will be coming out tomorrow (fingers crossed) to remove the giant tree in a yard adjacent to mine.

After that, an electrician on stand-by will come out to repair my meter base, at which time OG&E will reinstall a line to my house and turn her on.

Now, if that seems a bit fast for you, it does for me as well. I'd consider it nothing short of a Christmas miracle if electricity were back on at my place by Friday. We've got winter weather coming in again on Saturday, and so if it's not done by Friday, we're looking at sometime after the holidays more than likely.

The really good news is that the giant tree that has hung over my driveway will be gone. I'll be able to park there again without fear that the giant tree would fall on it. Plus, I'm really pleased at how quickly and how urgently my landlord is working to get this done. Sure, I might have to eat those words, but I'm not an impatient guy, and I realize just how taxing this entire process is on local labor.

So, I'll leave it at this: So far, so good.

Here's the video I put together this morning:

Per the post from Monday night, this is a video of damage caused by a tree trimmer in Norman, Okla. This clown's pole saw is still in the tree, much of which he brought down last night.

He's lucky he wasn't electrocuted.

Anyway, my power is out for another week to two weeks. I'd love to know who did this.

Remember when I said that if I lost power again, I'd be back to bitch and moan?

Well, the unthinkable happened.

No, my entire family wasn't killed in an auto accident. No, I didn't lose my first-born son to an unjust war. And, no, I didn't kill my beautiful, blonde wife and then declare that I'd spend the rest of my days looking for the "real" killer.

The unthinkable in this case is that either a high-tree trimmer or a representative of Cox Communications worked to remove tree branches away from a line -- either cable or electric -- and it brought much of the rest of the tree down, popping a transformer and ridding several blocks in Norman, Okla., of electricity.

Good times.

The tree in question is in a neighbor's yard, but the branches overhanged my driveway. Both homes in question are owned by the same guy, our landlord. A pole saw is still in the tree, but none of my neighbors nor I saw any evidence of a corpse below. We could only be so lucky.

I kid because, at this point, I'm mad but I'm not frustrated, if that makes sense.

Sitting in the comfort of my friends' home, where I essentially have a room of my own, I consider myself lucky beyond anything a lottery win could afford me. Of course, my cat is pissed, but I'm merely inconvenienced.

I don't have young kids. I am not caring for a relative who needs electricity-powered oxygen. I didn't even have time to restock my fridge with food I'd have to throw out all over again. Nobody died. The house doesn't seem to be damaged. My car wasn't scratched considering I was at work. I ate a hearty meal consisting of a Sonic extra-long chili coney and had some tots with a Vanilla Diet Coke.

I'm beating my first-place brother in our fantasy football semi-finals this week with a team I have managed no better than Ken Lay did Enron.

Who am I to complain?

I called OG&E, and they took note that the lines were down, although they had received similar reports from every neighbor from Flood Avenue to Berry Road. They had a guy out there working on it that night, although as one of my neighbors put it: "You can't mess with a lineman. They have you by the ass."

I called the landlord to tell him the line was down and that a pole saw was in the tree and that he ought to call his tree-trimmer person to find out what in the hell happened. He had no idea that any trimmer would be out there today, and that combined with the lack of evidence that anybody besides Cox was out at the house makes me think maybe our grand digital cable provider is to blame.

Long story short, sometimes you just have to roll with the flow and be thankful for what you have -- great friends and a terrific story to tell for years to come. My hope is that I can get to the house in time on Tuesday to document the damage via camera and video. A friend has already suggested that if the landlord's tree-trimmer is to blame that I deduct the number of days without power from my rent; however, I don't think that's a viable, legal option. I'm not even sure that's a reasonable ethical expectation.

Besides, I've got a great deal on that little house, and the landlord's guys busted tail to cut up the damaged trees last week and set them by the curb. On the other hand, unless that was a cable wire dangling from the tree, I will be without power for up to the next couple of weeks, I'm told.

Perhaps it will only be a couple of days.

Either way, outside of feeling bad for my cat there in that dark house, I'm perfectly at peace with Round 2 of my electrical nightmare. Why stress over what you can't control?

This is a blog post I just added to American Idol Blog, a site dedicated to any and all things American Idol. Now that we're 30 days from the start of Season 7 (yes, we're counting), I thought I'd post some of the things we've got over there on ryanwelton.com. Just so you know we exist.

BTW, you can also click the American Idol tab up top. During the season, we'll cover Idol like nobody else, trolling the Web for the latest news, videos and gossip related to the most popular television show on the planet.

As we get closer to the debuts of American Idol 7 on Jan. 15, my apologies for not posting this past week. But I've got a great excuse: I had no power.

No, I didn't forget to pay the electric bill. The plains states were hit hard by an ice storm that rendered millions of us without electricity. Six days and nights with nothin' but flashlights and sub-freezing temperatures.

I don't recommend it as a lifestyle choice.

However, among the things I did as soon as the lights (and heat) came back on was check out the Billboard end-of-year charts to see where our Idols finished for 2007. What I discovered is that while Chris Daughtry outperformed all other Idols, his band actually outperformed everyone. Period.

His CD, "Daughtry," finished the year as the No. 1 album of 2007.

Carrie Underwood was a strong finisher, placing two albums in the end-of-year Top 200 list, and Kelly Clarkson did better than what you might have expected.

Our boy Elliott ended the year with a Top 50 single, and these end-of-year charts proved once and for all that Fantasia is still a player in the music business even though she has been off doing Broadway for a bit.

Here's a sample of what I found on the end-of-year charts:

Hot 100 singles for 2007:

No. 6 - "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood

No. 17 - "It's Not Over" - Daughtry

No. 25 - "Home" - Daughtry

No. 41 - "Wait For You" - Elliott Yamin

No. 70 - "Never Again" - Kelly Clarkson

Hot 100 female artists for 2007:

No. 3 - Carrie Underwood

Hot 100 duo/groups for 2007:

No. 1 - Daughtry

Hot 100 songwriters for 2007:

No. 7 - Chris Daughtry

Top digital album artists for 2007:

No. 2 - Daughtry

No. 9 - Carrie Underwood

Hot 100 overall artists for 2007:

No. 6 - Daughtry

No. 7 - Carrie Underwood

No. 44 - Elliott Yamin

No. 50 - Kelly Clarkson

No. 90 - Fantasia

And who was at No. 91 on this list? Hannah Montana. This is to give you a bit of perspective as to Fantasia's 2007 Billboard ranking.

Top 200 albums for 2007:

No. 1 - "Daughtry" by Daughtry

No. 6 - "Some Hearts" by Carrie Underwood

No. 56 - "Carnival Ride" by Carrie Underwood

No. 66 - "My December" by Kelly Clarkson

No. 74 - "Taylor Hicks" by Taylor Hicks

No. 95 - "Small Town Girl" by Kellie Pickler

No. 105 - "Fantasia" by Fantasia

No. 114 - "Elliott Yamin" by Elliott Yamin

No. 159 - "Katherine McPhee" by Katherine McPhee

No. 187 - "Bucky Covington" by Bucky Covington

After a three-year battle with advanced prostate cancer, singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg died early Sunday.

When most folks think of James Taylor as the great singer-songwriter of the 1970s, I thought of Fogelberg. Not that I don't revere the original J.T. However, there was always a country, folkish sound to Dan's music that made it earthy and accessible to fans across numerous genres.

Most people loved "Longer" and "Leader of the Band," but those were my least favorite Dan Fogelberg songs. Not sure why. Perhaps "Longer" was just too sappy, and "Leader of the Band" -- musically -- just didn't do that much for me.

I preferred his earliest work. "Heart Hotels," "Run for the Roses," "Part of the Plan" and especially "Hard to Say." What a great, great song, one for which I was unable to find a YouTube video.

Dan's work in the 1980s wasn't as good, but it was still really solid, especially the 1982 pop tune, "Missing You." Again, I couldn't find a video for it.

But my two favorite Dan Fogelberg songs, by a million miles, were the 1983 adult contemporary hit, "Make Love Stay," and the early 1980s anthem, "Same Old Lang Syne." The former was a work of pure art musically, with perfect instrumentation and arrangement.

The latter was a masterpiece lyrically. Masterpiece.

Met my old lover in the grocery store

The snow was falling christmas eve

I stole behind her in the frozen foods

And I touched her on the sleeve



She didnt recognize the face at first

But then her eyes flew open wide

She went to hug me and she spilled her purse

And we laughed until we cried.



We took her groceries to the checkout stand

The food was totalled up and bagged

We stood there lost in our embarrassment

As the conversation dragged.



We went to have ourselves a drink or two

But couldnt find an open bar

We bought a six-pack at the liquor store

And we drank it in her car.



We drank a toast to innocence

We drank a toast to now

And tried to reach beyond the emptiness

But neither one knew how.



She said shed married her an architect

Who kept her warm and safe and dry

She would have liked to say she loved the man

But she didnt like to lie.



I said the years had been a friend to her

And that her eyes were still as blue

But in those eyes I wasnt sure if I saw

Doubt or gratitude.



She said she saw me in the record stores

And that I must be doing well

I said the audience was heavenly

But the traveling was hell.



We drank a toast to innocence

We drank a toast to now

And tried to reach beyond the emptiness

But neither one knew how.



We drank a toast to innocence

We drank a toast to time

Reliving in our eloquence

Another auld lang syne...



The beer was empty and our tongues were tired

And running out of things to say

She gave a kiss to me as I got out

And I watched her drive away.



Just for a moment I was back at school

And felt that old familiar pain

And as I turned to make my way back home

The snow turned into rain --

And, luckily, I found a couple of videos with his music on them on YouTube, for "Make Love Stay" and "Same Old Lang Syne." They're not the actual videos, as you'll quickly figure out.

I think most of us who consider ourselves fans of Dan Fogelberg knew that he wasn't in good shape. He simply got his PSA test done well after the cancer had spread, which should serve as a warning to every man over 40 or 50.

Alas, another of the greats has gone. Enjoy the vids.

Make Love Stay ...

Same Old Lang Syne ...

Oh, what a week it has been in Oklahoma.

Last weekend, walking through the Okmulgee Wal-Mart, I told Mom to get plenty of groceries, even more than her two-week usual. An ice storm was on the way, and it could be significant, I had been told.

Part of me believed that the more I yapped about the storm, the less likely it would be to happen.

However, I also knew that residents in the Muskogee area -- some of them -- were without power for a month after an ice storm earlier this year.

After six days without power, I can't begin to empathize properly with those folks, nor can I empathize properly with the 500,000-plus people who don't have power right this second. Fortunately, my power came back on today here in Norman.

If you're from out of state, and you think this is mere "bitching" or "wimpiness," perhaps you haven't been without power in subfreezing weather for days on end.

A colleague asked me today why I was so down on OG&E. I've said for two years that, in my opinion, our core power infrastructure, as supported primarily by OG&E, was simply not ready for calamity. Each time I've covered a major storm in Oklahoma, major power outages have followed. And while utility workers are salt-of-the-earth folks, and while they have worked and are working their tails off this week, they deserve better just as much as we do.

When I consider the ways I would improve the state of my birth, the state I've been loyal to all my life, the state of my college and my team, the primary hope I'd have for Oklahoma is that it progresses. That we act and react progressively.

It's not a political argument. It's not a social debate, and it's not some sort of left-wing ideology. I'm a firm believer that hardcore right-wingers and bleeding-heart lefties can work toward common good, which I'd define as collective prosperity.

It starts with a great infrastructure. Great roads. Great utilities.

Every good thing that could happen for Oklahoma the next 25 years start with those, and if you want to look toward examples of how this can be done, start with none other than Oklahoma City. Since the bombing in 1995, OKC has turned into one of the truly cool little big towns in the country.

Sure, they have plenty to work on; however, Oklahoma City's problems aren't the foundation of this message. On the other hand, their successes underscore my point about acting progressively. Between Bricktown's revival and the MAPS project and the recently passed bond issue, Oklahoma City has it goin' on.

And if OG&E wants to continue to be the singular electric utility for central Oklahoma, it needs to get on the bandwagon. It needs to invest in underground cabling. Their executives need to work with emergency planners to develop worst-case scenario strategies for getting power restored in 48 hours or less, regardless of the situation, and be able to execute.

Now, this will be my last word on the matter unless my power goes back out, at which time, I'll merely update and bitch and moan. It's not that I don't support those whose power still isn't on, it's just that my voice is really kind of irrelevant at this point given that I'm sitting here in the comfort of 72-degree temperature.

However, I'd be stunned if I could find anybody who disagrees with me that at least some improvements need to be made. Sure, it might cost a little more; however, any good investment requires some cost and some risk.

Oklahomans really didn't want to hear OG&E CEO Peter Delaney talk about "cost-benefit analysis" at a news conference earlier this week. It was bad, bad form. They wanted to see his butt out there working with his men, living the very motto of our state - labor conquers all.

Great infrastructure is a primary factor in whether or not this state attracts new business.

Great infrastructure is a primary factor in attracting talented, educated residents, and it's a primary factor in keeping them here after they graduate from college.

And for anybody who says we have it here in Oklahoma, I would love to have a sip of whatever you're drinking. I think one could make an argument that our power infrastructure is in significantly better shape than most of our roads; however, it's like asking who's the bigger mess-up: Britney Spears or Amy Winehouse?

So, my hope is that people of like, progressive mind make it a point to insist that OG&E reconsider its cost-benefit analysis once their restorations are complete. Either that, or we should work to introduce competition to the marketplace.

Besides, I've never, ever thought competition was a bad thing. Perhaps that should happen regardless.

As of Friday morning, about 232,000 electricity customers across Oklahoma still don't have power. I am one of them -- for the sixth day.

However, OG&E has made significant progress in the past day, taking us down to 50 percent of the outages initially reported at the started of the week. The challenge is today.

What will the weather do? That is the question.

We're looking at freezing rain in central Oklahoma late this afternoon with snow on top of it tonight and into Saturday. That's not the worst part, though.

The worst part is 25 mph winds, which will work to topple fragile limbs and poles, so folks who hadn't lost power in the past week still might. Those who had gotten their power back might lose it again. Not saying it will happen, but with those winds, with this weather, it's a possibility.

Nevertheless, I'm growing more confident in what OG&E is trying to accomplish because of the progress they've made relative to the expectations they set. They're on track.

However, frustration is still on the rise from those without power. And mind you, I'm one of them. But, I'm tellin' you: That's a conversation we need to have about our state's power infrastructure, and it's one for after the storm.

So, it's not like I'm not frustrated.

However, my frustration is certainly not with the effort. Not right now, at least. These guys at OG&E, at least, and with other utilities -- AT&T and Cox for example -- are busting their tails.

Fingers crossed.

UPDATE 5:22 p.m. Good news. Toad has power, which means Ryan has a room. And I'm told OG&E crews are working along Berry Road right this second, which is also good news. I firmly believe they are racing against the clock to get as many people fixed up before Friday's winter blast.

It underscores my belief that their intentions are solid. Their efforts are to be appreciated; however, we as a community need to have a little talk after this all shakes out.

UPDATE 4:34 p.m. I'm told the entire block across from me has power. This is a good sign, although I should note that a health food store is across the street, which makes sense. Businesses before residents.

OG&E officials said on Thursday that they have restored power to about 50 percent of those without it. Of course, when I look at their System Watch site, I see that both Norman's and N. OKC's outages went up from about noon onward. My hunch is that most of their success was in smaller towns today.

Oklahoma City Mayor Cornett played the role of politician, telling media members that OG&E has done a great job given the circumstances. Actually, I don't disagree. I just think they need to evaluate their circumstances once this bugger is over -- and Cornett essentially said the same thing, noting that officials should review this disaster with "fresh eyes" once everybody was restored.

Unfortunately, the latest weather models indicate that we'll be seeing ice tomorrow instead of snow. This would be an unmitigated disaster, and my gut hunch is that if OG&E doesn't get your power back up today, by sundown, it ain't happening until at least Sunday.

And temps are supposed to get down to the teens this weekend.

I'll add updates here as warranted.

***

As we enter Day 5 of the Oklahoma Ice Storm/Power Outage debacle, an interesting tidbit:

Edmond Electric suffered significant power losses due to Sunday's ice storm and was able to get their customers back running in two days. 48 hours. Complete restoration.

To do so, they worked day and night. All night. All crews.

I've said that we should cut OG&E and volunteer crews a break, and I still believe it ... for now. However, they are only working sunrise to sundown. Back in Norman on Wednesday night, I saw AT&T out working. I saw Cox Communications working. Didn't see OG&E anywhere.

What's worse, in the past hour, the number of outages in North Oklahoma City has actually gone up.

Again, patience is still the word of the day. However, OG&E and CEO Peter Delaney will have serious questions to answer once restoration is complete.

And with some snow on the way, don't you think for a second that this isn't going to get worse before it gets better.

State and utility officials said Wednesday would be a telling day as to the power restoration effort across Oklahoma, and it was. In some ways, it was good -- but it was at the same time a bit of a public relations goof.

Yes, OG&E got power restored to about 100,000 customers in the Oklahoma City metro area. Crews from out of state are in here working their butts off to get the heat back on.

Thank goodness for all of 'em.

However, perhaps coincidentally, crews restored power to an upscale neighborhood that Gov. Brad Henry happened to be touring (with OG&E officials) as his walk ended. Actually, I'm not sure that the Crown Heights neighborhood is all that upscale, particularly when compared with Nichols Hills ... but it sure seemed like the timing of power restoration to this area was, well, planned.

You bet I'm a little cynical when it comes to how this is all being handled. Amid calls for OG&E to update its infrastructure, you can bet that they're quite cognizant of public opinion.

In Norman, many if not most businesses are up and running, while neighborhoods adjacent to them are pitch dark, including mine just south of Main Street. Sleeping in subfreezing weather, under blankets, fully clothed, isn't a problem though.

Moving around is.

Thank goodness for hot water. At least one can take a shower.

On the other hand, I really should have finished my laundry last weekend. This mistake has been duly noted on my disaster-preparation checklists for the future. I'm hoping these twice-worn jeans aren't causing too much of a stench for colleagues, many of whom are in the same boat I'm in.

It might give you a feel for my odd personality, but I really wanted to spend a night in the cold just to get a sense of empathy for those who have dealt with it for days. My power has been out since Sunday, but I've been fortunate to have been able to stay in a hotel a couple of nights and at work for another.

Plus, when you have a pet -- as I do -- you really hate to just keep leaving it there night after night, although the cat has been fed probably better than ever before. Folks vastly underestimate how well animals can deal with the cold.

Alas, after this "telling" day, I am apt to believe estimates suggesting that it will be a week to 10 days before power is restored across the state. I also believe we'll be saying "a week to 10 days" for perhaps another "week to 10 days."

In other words, I bet we see locations without power for up to two more weeks.

Again, it makes me a cynic, but it underscores my opinion that our state power infrastructure is in need of a major overhaul.

On the other hand, I also think we should cut power crews a major break until everything is back to normal. We've gotten reports of angry people going to OG&E walk-up centers and acting-a-fool -- and it simply won't make your house warm any faster.

It's wasted negative energy.

Save the anger for when this storm is wrapped up and behind us.

Anybody who knows me knows the passion with which I hate winter; however, it's not that I hate winter weather. I like cold as long as it isn't accompanied by wind. I like snow. I don't mind ice all that much, actually, although I'm not a fan of driving in it.

And this is the center of the distinction I would make in regard to my hatred for the season. It's not the weather I hate; it's the massive inconvenience.

In Oklahoma, more than 500,000 electricty customers are in the dark tonight -- and officials are resigned to the possibility that it could be a week to 10 days before power can be restored. My house is without power in Norman, and it's down to 50 degrees, just a few notches above the temp at which pipes could be irreparably damaged.

In Norman, trees are down everywhere, and they took powerlines with them, and it's caused a scene that can only be described as something out of a war zone. Officials with OG&E have already said it's the worst power outage in their history, and it's quite likely this will be the most costly natural disaster in Oklahoma's history.

However, this mess is not all an act of God.

Our electric companies will face a great inquiry after this event for what they could have done better to prepare for it. Unfortunately, this marks the fourth time this year my electricty has gone out for a significant length of time. It could merely be coincidence, but my electricity in Texas went out once (for a significant length of time) in a decade.

With as many tornadoes and winter storms and hurricanes (yes, we had what was technically a "tropical depression" in 2007) as Oklahoma has, OG&E and PSO and OEC and whoever charges us high dollar for power simply must come up with a way to protect this resource. Get the lines underground.

OG&E and others should be prepared to pro-rate bills for those of us who do average billing, too. In fact, I would support legislation that acts punitively against electric companies for outages. For example, customers would be refunded at a rate of 2X cost for every hour without power.

Fact is, a mild windstorm can knock out power in this state to 10,000 people, and it's what makes a mild winter storm something nearly unbearable.

Oh, and by the way, I should note that we're being told that a snowstorm could be a player in Oklahoma THIS weekend. Not necessarily a big, big event, but it would be snow with accumulation -- and if it even touches power lines, you can bet we'll have more outages.

And it's that -- and not the white stuff itself -- that's a giant pain in the butt.

When Oklahoma took a leap of faith to hire Virginia Commonwealth's Jeff Capel in 2006 to replace Kelvin Sampson, most Sooners fans were left wondering, "Who?"

Sure, we knew the Jeff Capel whose home run three-pointer sent a Duke-UNC classic to overtime. However, those of us who follow college basketball also knew that Capel's record at VCU was good but unremarkable. On the other hand, given Joe Castiglione's track record of pulling names out of a hat and finding gold (Stoops), we were all willing to give this guy a try.

And, we still are willing to give our coach some time.

But after Saturday's 66-62 loss at home to Stephen F. Austin, we now know where OU will be going in the postseason.

Nowhere. This isn't merely an average team; this Sooners' squad is flat-out bad. They have no identity inside with Longar Longar, a player who in all fairness would be a backup at most Division I schools. This team has exactly zero shooters, and their stellar recruit -- Blake Griffin -- has had only a couple of moments of brilliance in his freshman campaign, nothing close to his hype coming in to the 2007 season.

Capel got a giant pass in 2006-07 given that Kelvin's three top recruits opted not to honor their commitments to Oklahoma. Given the shadiness of our former coach's recruiting practices, it was just as well.

However, the 2007 edition of the Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team should have been an improvement on last season's bunch. And, they're not.

While Oklahoma has lost to a few teams it shouldn't have in two years, the Sooners have beaten not one team it shouldn't have. There has been no marquee win, no program-building effort and no sign that Capel even has a system in place offensively or defensively.

Even blowout wins over Tulsa and TCU this past week were, well, as unremarkable as Capel's coaching career thus far. It's not to say that the coach won't become one of the great ones eventually; I'm all about giving Capel plenty of time.

With only 4,400 in attendance for Saturday's game, Oklahoma hoops has fallen to its lowest point since the 1970s, if not earlier. Sure, the weather was cruddy on Saturday, but the fanbase isn't going to be willing to dish out $25 to watch a team that has no shot at a postseason.

Doesn't mean we don't root for this bunch; it just means the product on the court isn't matching the expectation. But I still endorse giving Capel as much time as he needs to get this program going.

At this point, given the lack of support for the team, we really have no option but to be patient. To fire Capel after only a couple of seasons would be nothing short of a red flag to any other coach who might consider a move to Norman.

However, the competitive college basketball world dictates that Capel's performance thus far, underscored by Saturday's loss, isn't merely unremarkable ... it's unacceptable.

At the outset of this year's year-end countdown of the best songs I'd heard all year, I noted that one of 2007's entrants was the Bob Dylan of his generation.

Like most of America, I discovered Ryan Adams right after 9-11. The video for his single, "New York, New York," was shot four days before the World Trade Center tragedy, with both towers in the background while the North Carolina native sang, "I still love you New York."

It was an ominous portrayal of art imitating life, and Adams' efforts ever since have certainly been artistic and prolific. At about an album a year for the past several, Adams' 2007 release, "Easy Tiger," was something of a departure. He actually took a couple of years to put it together.

The sound is pure alt-country delight. And for those of you unfamiliar with that genre, a style that gets virtually no radio play anywhere, it's basically an offshoot of what Neil Young has been doing for four decades. In fact, if I had to crown a king of alt-country, it would be Young.

Adams made this album with his band, The Cardinals, and one single that immediately caught my attention was "Two." Its melancholy sound and lyrics are something of an AM country classic.

If you take me back

Back to your place

I'll try not to bother you

I promise


Cause it's colder here

And I wish it was hot

The sink's broke

It's leaking from the faucet

Adams is a songwriter's songwriter. He managed to write a song called "Political Scientist" that actually didn't suck. A tune he penned called "Meadowlake Street" is one of the 20 or so best rock songs of my lifetime, an album cut that didn't see the light of day on mainstream radio.

However, my guess is that Adams never wants that type of commercial success. It would dull the shine off his cool, although I should note that of all places, I heard this year's No. 19 song playing at Wilder's restaurant in Henryetta, Okla., one Saturday evening as my mom and I ate chicken and dumplings.

I recalled turning to Mom and saying, "Wow. I can't believe they're playing this guy here. In Henryetta. At a restaurant."

But as a fan of Ryan's entire body of work, I'm more than willing to let the masses in on a secret I've known about for half a decade: If you love singer-songwriters, there is simply nobody better than Ryan Adams.

See others:

No. 25 - Everyday America - Sugarland

No. 24 - Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

No. 23 - Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert

No. 22 - Colorful - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

No. 21 - Never Again - Kelly Clarkson

No. 20 - Streetcorner Symphony - Rob Thomas

When I was growing up, particularly in the years between 1988-94, I wanted nothing more than to become a famous pop songwriter. Of course, thousands have this same fantasy, and most of them can't play, sing or -- well -- write.

However, 35-year-old Rob Thomas is living that dream, and he's already been recognized in the music industry as being probably its best pop songwriter of the past several years. Some would classify him as a singer-songwriter, and I guess he is. However, Thomas is at his core a pop songwriter.

He co-wrote the 1999 anthem "Smooth," which he performed with Santana, and he's since written for many others in pop, rock and country. The guy is a machine, and it would be shameful not to note that he's a bright one, too.

Thomas has made numerous appearances on Bill Maher's HBO program, "Real Time," and he's a knowledgable political creature -- even if he was once the cover boy for High Times magazine.

His 2007 resume was capped though by what became a corporate commercial for ABC and its Thursday-night lineup. Most folks will know "Streetcorner Symphony" as that tune from Grey's Anatomy promos, and while it was not a major commercial hit (peaking at No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100), it proved to be pervasive in the pop culture palette of the year.

What's striking about this song, to me, is how perfect it is in its musical structure while at the same time being sort of white-boy soulful. Thomas has never been what one would call a blue-eyed soul artist, a designation better left to dudes like Daryl Hall and the guy from Simply Red.

However, the guitar hook intermingled with the horns and the backup singers refuse to prevent one from bobbing their head to what is the No. 20 song on my Top 25 of 2007 countdown.

See others:

No. 25 - Everyday America - Sugarland

No. 24 - Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

No. 23 - Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert

No. 22 - Colorful - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

No. 21 - Never Again - Kelly Clarkson

Before I introduce the No. 21 song on my Top 25 for 2007 list, I should offer a mea culpa. This track is merely the third-best rock song of the year.

I'm having a hard time differentiating between pop and rock on this list, and Kelly Clarkson's "Never Again," which was a bomb of a single from a bomb of an album in what was an awful professional year for American Idol's original star, is very much a rock song.

Sure, it's also pop, but as I wrote on Monday night, it's not like the music industry really differentiates much anymore. However, as I combed through my list, there are at least five more songs that could be considered "rock," but oddly enough, the most "rock" of these come from pop artists, while the more established "rock" artists on this list offered songs with more of a "pop" flavor.

Confused?

Thought so.

And you can bet that Clive Davis was confused when Clarkson offered "Never Again," an angry song about a jilted lover, as the first single from her new CD. Why did she abandon her soft pop roots? How could she be accepted in this new rock role by her Idol fans?

A colleague of mine put it best when he noted that if THIS song had been recorded by Pat Benatar back in the day, it absolutely would have been considered cool. Furthermore, I'd add that if you match this sucker up against Alanis' 1990s offering, "You Oughta Know," which I think is a classic, it stacks up well.

With that said, Clarkson is not meant to be a rock star. Once an artist's persona is established, without transformational talent such as what Sting has, for example, this switching of styles just doesn't work very well in the marketplace. Kelly's customers expect soft, Disney-esque pop with a tinge of white-girl soul.

While I'd submit that Clarkson actually did herself proud with this track, I'd also admit that I can understand this pop cultural dissonance, this problem that her core fan base has with this track.

However, quality is quality, and I assure you that if you crank this song while driving 80 mph up I-35, it won't do ya' wrong.

See others:

No. 25 - Everyday America - Sugarland

No. 24 - Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

No. 23 - Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert

No. 22 - Colorful - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

One of the topics of discussion at the bi-weekly Meat Saturday convention I attend was my Top 25 of 2007 list and how seemingly weak it was thus far.

That list returns tomorrow with what I think is the second-best rock song of the year.

Meat Saturday is what I've come to call our OU football get-togethers, an outing among three of us who talk about pop culture, politics, sports, news, etc., over beers and, well, meat. We had ribs this week. Yum. I hadn't had ribs in maybe five years, unless you count the compressed meat goodness of the McRib.

What I explained to a fellow participant was that I had already explained that this year's batch of singles was really soft. The first half of my list was filled with serviceable songs, some of which I might really like years down the line and others I'll forget tomorrow.

The focus of the discussion had in the past been on the best rock songs of the year. A conversation I had at work today underscored the role of rock music among today's teens, and all you need to know is that it centered on Hannah Montana.

Not that there is anything wrong with Miley Cyrus. It's just that when I was growing up in Muskogee, Okla., we talked about going to Ozzy and Motley Crue concerts, not going to see Disney actors. I'd submit that today's music environment for teens is significantly more family friendly, at least until the point where rap comes into play for the older teens.

Unfortunately, this development has spelled the death-knell for great rock music. Where are the AC/DCs, the Scorpions, the Judas Priests, the ZZ Tops of our era? Heck, where are The Police, Styx and Bostons of the world?

They're not in abundance because the market doesn't warrant their existence. It's not the end of the world for me musically because I'm more of a soft-rock guy, more of an R&B and jazz listener. Sure, I enjoy good hard rock, but when it's not there, I have plenty of options.

One of my favorite options is soul music, and by soul music, I don't mean R&B as a whole. I mean a subset of R&B that has its roots in the 1970s, primarily devoid of what we'd call funk. It's music that you groove to, not necessarily dance to. Perhaps one would bob their head as opposed to shake their booty.

And for music aficionadoes who love their soul, it's been a dry run the past three or four years. In the early 2000s, artists like Angie Stone and Jill Scott and Macy Gray brought it back. John Legend and Alicia Keys made it more mainstream.

But then it went away as fast as the soul revolution came. Until now.

R&B mainstays Erykah Badu (from Dallas) and Snoop Dogg (from Compton, I presume, or perhaps Oakland ... who knows, maybe it's SacTown, the Bay Area and back down?) have individually released a pair of singles that represent the best soul offerings in years.

Erykah hit the big time with her MTV video smash, "Tyrone," and while her work had always been more along the lines of what The Roots would do, she's released a tune called "Honey" that is an early contender for the best of 2008. It's a classic mix of great chord progressions with a contemporary groove and a brilliant vocal that evokes 1970s-era work with a 2007 sensibility.

Then there's Snoop. Typically, rap and soul are pretty intertwined, if you asked me. But that's not the opinion of many, and I won't argue it most of the time. However, on "Sensual Seduction," Snoop sings.

There's no rap.

Sure, it's heavily produced, but any soul music fan who enjoyed Roger in the 1970s and 1980s knows how cool the voice synthesizer can sound. My primary but only criticism of this tune is that I'm not sure Snoop comes off terribly believable in his role as 1970s-era crooner.

However, it's a solid, soulful step forward, a niche I hope he continues to carve.

As for the rest of my Top 25 of 2007, what I would say is this. The latter half of the list is filled with terrific, terrific compositions. This year has been one of the best in many for well written pop songs, tunes that will stand the test of time.

However, until we get to about No. 15 or below, know that we're just talking about pretty good tunes that caught my ear. Not masterpieces.

After Oklahoma's 38-17 win over No. 1 Missouri in the Big 12 championship game on Saturday, coach Bob Stoops started lobbying, albeit indirectly, for a spot in the BCS national title game.

"Like everybody, I hear it all the time, 'Who is playing the best today? Who played the best right now?' Heck, I don't see anyone else playing No. 1 in the country, beating them on a neutral field by 21," Stoops said.

Our fearless leader has a good point. Who is the best team in the country right now? Who should be playing for a national title.

Unfortunately, in this era of the BCS, a national championship game is weighted far too much on the here and now, instead of an unencumbered look at the whole season. Frankly, I think there should be a federal, criminal investigation into college football to find out who's getting the kickbacks necessary to keep a playoff away.

However, why get all worked up over something over which you have no control?

Nevertheless, if I had a vote in today's Associated Press Top 25, my Top 10 would look like this:

1. USC - If there were an eight-team playoff, these guys would win.

2. Hawaii - I'm telling you right now: The Warriors will win their BCS game. Heck, being undefeated has to mean something, and the WAC schedule isn't as soft as you'd think.

3. Ohio State - Their non-conference schedule is terrible. Their conference stinks. However, I still say Ohio State has the defense to win a title.

4. Oklahoma - When their defense is "on," the Sooners are unbeatable.

5. LSU - I would have put Virginia Tech here because I think the Hokies are a better team than LSU right now, but you can't ignore that the Bayou Bengals beat them 48-7 earlier in the year.

6. Virginia Tech - This team found its stride probably a little too late. However, a national title game chance would be a huge story, just months after the tragic campus shooting.

7. Illinois - The Illini performance in Columbus was very impressive, and I think Ron Zook's team would give virtually anybody in the country a run for their money.

8. Florida - Tim Tebow is the likely Heisman winner, and like Illinois, the Gators would give anybody a run for their money on neutral ground.

9. Georgia - If the Bulldogs would have just won their division, they would be playing for a national title. This presumes they could have beaten LSU in an SEC title game, but at least the Dawgs would have had a chance.

10. Kansas/Missouri - Really, if I'm being perfectly frank, neither the Jayhawks nor the Tigers are that good. Listen to me. I'd like Kansas to lose on a neutral field to each of the rest of the AP Top 25, except maybe South Florida.

And, as much as I'd love to claim Oklahoma whipped a formidable No. 1, Missouri was probably the weakest No. 1 college football has seen in 25 years. Chase Daniel was exposed as a fraud, and worse yet, he came off looking like a spoiled whiner on national television.

As much as anything, the fact that Kansas and Missouri were so highly ranked helped the Sooners out immensely in the long haul. However, that they were so weak relative to perception is a killer, too.

Yet, it's the inconsistency of Oklahoma's defensive game-planning that sits as the primary reason we won't go to New Orleans for a shot at Ohio State. What Brent Venables put together in San Antonio on Saturday was masterful.

Tons of new guys contributing. Aggressive and aggressive early, able to sniff out trick plays. Tremendous helmet-to-chest tackling.

At one point during the first quarter on Saturday, I said, "Whoa! Who are these guys, and what have they done with OU's defense?"

It was a tremendous game plan and execution, and Venables should be applauded. It should be his defensive game plan for this rest of his career here, and he shouldn't overthink it. Rush the quarterback. Tackle like madmen.

Oh, I also found it humorous how well our secondary played without Reggie Smith on the field. I'll cut him a break though.

Nevertheless, if we merely implement this game plan against Colorado and Texas Tech, even with the loss of Bradford in the latter, we win both.

That's in the past, though, and I have to admit that for the second season in a row, Oklahoma has actually exceeded expectations. We bitch and we moan and call for coaches heads, and in the end, we end up 11-2 with a chance to finish the year No. 2.

I'd say No. 1, but we're not going to get that chance. That's fine, too. Until this BCS system devolves into a fraud so unacceptable that somebody, somewhere does something about it, I won't get too worked up over a BCS title game snub.

But I'm sure hoping against hope that we don't have to play Hawaii.