It is a pity that the over-saturation of a production team can leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

The talented, (and oh so in-demand), The Neptunes, have become the most popular kids on the block that everybody wants to befriend. Nothing wrong with that…right? After all, their track record proves that they have the Midas touch to put artists on the musical map. Remember the ‘good old days’ when they were the fresh and original producers behind the Old Dirty Bastard song, Got Your Money? The Neptunes have also worked with artists as diverse as Kelis and TLC…people who bring their own unique style to the table.

Nowadays when I think of the Neptunes I have visions of Britney and Justin dancing in my head. For a moment in time Ms. Spears tried to walk on the wild side by working with the Neptunes on the song, Boys. Neptunes producer, Pharrell Williams even appeared in the video showing everybody that Britney was ‘down’ with the hip hop set.

What’s good for Britney is sure enough good for her ex, Justin. Pharrell jived with Mr. Timberlake in his video for the (Neptunes-produced) song, Like I Love You, giving the N Sync-er the appearance of someone with street cred. No such luck. Can Mandy Moore be far behind?

There is nothing wrong with The Neptunes embracing the ex-Mickey Mouse set, but they walk a fine line between hot and not so hot when they work with the fore-runners of teen pop who so badly need to walk through the doors of credibility. If only the producers had the magic to turn Britney into an actual singer. She may have dressed the part of a sultry siren, but her mechanical whiney voice is circa Baby One More Time. It just goes to show that you can take the Max Martin out of the girl but you can’t take the girl out of Max Martin.

Here’s hoping that the Neptunes choose their next teen pop artists wisely. Good producers can’t work miracles….the artist has to carry their own weight as well.

The opinion in this article is that of the author and not necessarily of andPOP.






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