My loathing of contemporary pop music. . .

. . .comes with a price. Since I simply can't bring myself to tune in the local Top 40 station, I never hear any of the scant listenable releases until well after their sell-by dates unless I happen to be riding in someone else's car. Today, I happened to ride with a friend to lunch when I heard a slightly jazzy acoustic pop song called "Bubbly", by a young artist named Colbie Caillat (which, improbably enough, rhymes with "ballet" according to her Myspace page). Until the disc jockey said her name, I was sure it was a new Norah Jones release. She's a virtual voice clone of the young chanteuse whose hits include "Don't Know Why" and "Come Away with Me."

Some people are turned off by artists who sound too much like other, bigger artists who came before them. I am, usually. But, in this case, I'm able to get past it simply because the song is so infectious. Clicking on her link will take you to her Myspace page, which features the obligatory Myspace Standalone Player. It features several songs off her new CD release, "Coco". "Bubbly" is among them and well worth the time it takes to click over and listen.