Pop

DIDO Don't Think Of Me (3:56)
PRODUCER: Youth
WRITERS: D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, P. Taylor, P. Herman
PUBLISHERS: Warner/Chappell Music Ltd., Performing Right Society (PRS); BMG Music Publishing, ASCAP; Champion Music & Management/Cheeky Music Ltd., BMI
Arista 3803 (CD promo)
Dido's debut solo effort, "Here With Me," was one of the finest adult top 40 tracks of 1998 and yet, sadly, never entered the mainstream consciousness. Arista has spaced the time between that stellar effort and her second single, "Don't Think Of Me," and fortunately, it was worth drumming fingers over. Again, this track is aimed at an adult core, with intelligent lyrics, an ambling midtempo beat, and the commanding vocals of a true artist. In the song, Dido pines for an old boyfriend who has moved along to a new woman and spouts a lyric that is both acrid and regretful: "I hope she's sweet and so pretty/I hear she cooks delightfully, a little angel beside you/So you're with her and not with me." The radio release has been reworked to further contrast the heavy lyric and light beat, though the original album version remains right on. This is an imposing track, one that has universal appeal for the format's core, and a song that would elevate the class of the airwaves. Please, spin it and mean it. From the wonderful album "No Angel."

TAL BACHMAN If You Sleep (3:55)
PRODUCERS: Bob Rock, Tal Bachman
WRITER: T. Bachman
PUBLISHERS: Bachman & Sons Music Publishing/EMI-Blackwood, BMI
Columbia 46467 (CD promo)
No doubt about it, Tal Bachman's debut "She's So High" was the sleeper hit of the fall, eventually reaching No. 1 at adult top 40 radio and the top 10 of Hot 100 Airplay and Top 40 Tracks, as well as peaking at No. 14 on the overall Hot 100. The follow-up perhaps leans more to the modern rock side of the spectrum than the almost-edgy pop sound of the previous single, though Bachman still calls on penetrating hooks to draw in the masses. There's a Beatlesque quality about some of the instrumental elements used here, while the singer/songwriter/producer himself adds a little British lilt to his vocals. It all works pretty well, with some ruefully poetic lyrics adding an additional layer of smarts (as is the case throughout Bachman's debut self-titled album): "Gleaming cars and covered faces/Teary eyes in hallowed places/Grass and granite stone/No one's been more all alone." Nice. Adult top 40, take it on home.

PHOENIX STONE Nothing Good About Goodbye (3:48)
PRODUCERS: Jam and Delgado
WRITERS: P. Stone, M. Jay, J. Pederson, K. Dahldaard
PUBLISHERS: Warner/Chappell/Rhythm Addiction, BMI; Warner/Chappell, PRS
Universal 1675 (CD promo)
While his name may sound like that of a porn star, ahem, pretty boy Phoenix Stone has the goods in place to feed the youth addiction with catchy melodies and slick, contemporary production. Stone is a co-writer here, along with Martika songwriting partner Michael Jay and others, and together they carry this super-catchy tune right into Backstreet Boys zone, replete with the same brand of orchestral hits and zippy instrumental hooks that helped establish rivals "N Sync and the rest of the pack. Ain't nothing to say this isn't a breakthrough hit-particularly given that it's the latest brainchild of Lou Pearlman-aside from top 40's caution with introducing yet another act of this type. But with the right promotion at outlets like Radio Disney and the teen mag circuit, young Mr. Stone could find himself in good company. Radio has been good about giving most new acts a listen, and there's no reason why Stone won't get every consideration at mainstream top 40.

2GETHER U + Me = Us (Calculus) (no timing listed)
PRODUCER: KNS Productions
WRITERS: B. Gunn, M. Gunn
PUBLISHERS: MTV Songs/Zomba Songs/Mugsy Boy Publishing/Kierulf Music
TVT Soundtrax 6800 (CD promo)
Get ready for some of the worst lyrics you've ever heard: "I'm losing my hair, and my vision is shady, last night I dreamt of an overweight lady/But I need a young thing to keep up with my pace/To hold you in my arms, take me straight to second base." Don't worry, though, they're supposed to sound insipid. "U + Me = Us" is the first single from the MTV made-for-television movie "2gether," a twisted spoof about assembling the perfect-and completely formulaic-boy band. And, oh, what a sendup. The soundtrack includes producers like Viet Renn, of Backstreet Boys and "N Sync fame, and R&B's KNS Productions, showing that the team behind the flick means business. All tracks are sung by the five actors in the movie, who represent, respectively, the heartthrob, the rebel, the cutie, the shy one, and the older brother-the five boy-band elements. The song itself is alarmingly close to a typical youth track, with heaving beats, a ballad-to-dance track rhythm, and harmonies galore. Ouch, it's actually all pretty good in the context of its audience. The hip video, directed by the famed Nigel Dick, is, naturally, already smeared across MTV, and the network's hype for its movie is certain to have an impact on young fans who regularly pick up the phones to call their favorite radio stations. Whether top 40 reacts remains to be seen, but all the same, this track possesses all the traits of the boy bands that really mean it. Oh, mercy.