After pop-music radio’s mid-90s inundation with *NSync, The Backstreet Boys, 98 degrees, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson, we’re now back to square one. The boy-bands are gone. The sex-pot-cum-virgin girl singers are gone. The dust has settled. Let’s take a look now at just who remains.

Justin Timberlake brings “Sexy Back” with his latest release leading the way for his second solo album Future Sex/Love Sounds. Flipping through the channels the other day, I saw his video for “Sexy Back” (yes, MTV played a video!). I’d not seen the video, and it’s hot. He’s hot. The song compels you to get up and move your body. As much as I’d love to hate his solo stuff, I just can’t. It’s just too catchy. His first solo album, Justified, is still a major player on the music scene. Timberlake has gone from gooey bubble gum to a sexy R&B sound that reminds me of Prince from “back in the day.”

Christina Aguilera the pop vixen who tip-toed the line of decency and legality with her sex filled songs and performances. The commentary at the time was that she was trying to carve a niche for herself, separating herself from Britney and Jessica, but to keep in mind that she really can sing. After her pop filled debut album, she took her act to a “dirty” low, where she bragged publicly about her pierced genitals and sex experimentations. Now she’s scaled back to a more 40s era pin-up-girl image, but she still belts it out! Aguilera sounds fantastic. She’s got a powerful voice that she is in full command of. It seems Christina will not be a 90s pop “flash in the pan.” She’ll be around for years to come.

Of course, there are far more pop flops than successes. Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson for example, are super famous, but their music takes a back seat to their reality shows, their public divorce, and her lack of understanding whether “chicken of the sea” is tuna or chicken. In short, they’re famous, but not for their music. Nick and Jessica: FLOP!

JC Chasez was *NSync’s lead singer. He released a solo album long after Timberlake’s Justified became a music force. One single, “Some girls (dance with women)” was essentially a flop, though it did make VH1’s list of “Awesomely Bad Songs.” Chazez: FLOP.

Britney Spears, America’s Pop Princess, she claimed she was a virgin but dressed Lolita style in her videos, making her the top choice for boy and girls all over. She hasn’t released a new album in a while though because she’s been pregnant for most of the past two years. She has also, unfortunately, ceased caring how she looks when she leaves her house. Candid pictures of the former pop queen show a white-trash style mess. Post-90s Britney: FLOP!

Pop music is a tough business, no doubt. The public is fickle, always looking for the next big thing to hit. Today’s hit is tomorrow’s has-been. Today’s star is tomorrow’s Surreal Life cast member. Few acts have the longevity of the Rolling Stones or U2. That’s because, when the flashy marketing is gone, when the catchy tune dissolves into something annoying, that’s when we find out which acts are truly innovative and which ones are the record label puppets shaking it for a few dollars.