PoP  ABOUT

Let me introduce myself…no, I'm not a man of wealth and as for taste, well there is ample opportunity on this site to judge for yourself. 

I am Singaporean, of English/Irish descent and I work in a reputable property company, married to Angela and we have three rambunctious boys. I am also a born-again Christian. (More about that)

Not only that, what I am, is a pop fan. 

When I say - 'Pop' - I don't mean the flaccid image-obsessed talentless hacks that dominate the radio waves and TV screens of today. I am talking about pop with POWER!   

My dictionary defines “power” in terms of “physical, mental and moral strength”. In musical parlance I would add spiritual and emotional qualities to that interpretation or simply “heart & soul”. At the glance, this would include God Only Knows, I Second That Emotion, Substitute, Strawberry Fields Forever, Rebel Rebel, Love of the Common Man, Going Underground, The Mayor of Simpleton, My First Mistake and so on and so on.

Therefore, I am talking about merit and value judgements. That’s what makes it difficult but this is necessary in order to do justice to some of the great pop music ever produced. If music is indeed able to make you feel and think, then it must be important enough to warrant greater consideration and thought than trivial labels. Sorting the wheat from the chaff is not an easy task but that is what the Power of Pop is all about and anything less would just not do. 

*whew* 

I have been seriously writing about pop for about a decade now. You can find some of my published opinions in the pages of BigO (Before I Get Old) magazine in Singapore, Amplifier & Pop Culture Press in USA, Bucketfull of Brains in the UK and Otono Cheyenne in Spain. Online, you may read my views at Pop Matters (www.popmatters.com) & Fufkin.com (www.fufkin.com).

So, thanks so much for visiting Power of Pop, hope you have fun and pick up on some great pop. I always appreciate feedback and you can contact me at kevin@powerofpop.com. 

P.S. I am also one half of POPLAND, a band currently signed with San Francisco-based ZiP Records and with a CD out called "Action!" More info on Popland is available at www.ziprecords.com. Our music can be sampled online at vitaminic.com http://stage.vitaminic.com/main/popland2/ & http://stage.vitaminic.com/main/kevin_mathews2/.

Check it out!   
Power of Pop Central below

Cheers   

Grace & peace
Kevin Mathews