What exactly does it mean to be a “good pop singer‰” in 2012?

The qualities a “good pop album‰” are easier to pinpoint. A consistent vision. Stylistic inventiveness. Powerful lyrics. An experience.

A “good singer,‰” though? That‰’s a tough one.

Thirty years ago, maybe not. Before technology enabled artists to manipulate their voices with software programs like Auto-Tune, singing was singing. The production artists could certainly tailor the quality of singing to fit a particular song, but there was a consistency between recordings and live performance that is simply less common today.

Is that OK? I‰’m not sure.

On one hand, it‰’s easy to dismiss artists who can‰’t replicate the experience of hearing a recording in a live setting. On the other, though, aren‰’t we supposed to interpret and analyze music for what it is, not what we wish it could be? If pop artists are relying on vocal manipulation and generic lyrics, that‰’s not dismissible laziness, it‰’s interesting laziness. What does this music say about the cultural and technological landscape in 2012?

A few years ago, when The Black Eyed Peas were dominating the Billboard charts, I had a conversation with someone about our opinions on the smash hit of that year, “I Gotta Feeling.‰Û I remarked that I liked the song well enough, and the person asked, “But have you seen them sing it live?‰Û

My response was very 2012: “Yes. It‰’s not meant to be live.‰Û

What does that mean, exactly? Should the music we listen to in our ears or on the radio reflect what we see when we go to a concert? Is it disappointing when we watch an artist “sing‰” their song live and it falls flat? Yes and no.

On the “yes‰” side, there is no doubt that the baffling success of some products of this modern “music isn‰’t what it used to be‰” movement is reason alone to condemn this idea of variation between studio recordings and live ones. SkyBlu and RedFoo of LMFAO, with their ridiculous monikers and strange genealogy, write aurally destructive lyrics and can rarely even deliver their mindless raps in watchable fashion. The aforementioned Black Eyed Peas similarly rely on technological gimmickery to compensate for poor stagecraft, but at least they have the fairly competent and somewhat underrated Fergie to mask their ineptitude.

And then there‰’s Justin Bieber. The barely-a-teen-anymore phenomenon has captured the hearts of millions of teenage girls while establishing a remarkably inconsistent and polarizing record of live performances. Sometimes, his voice sounds excellent, more often in acoustic renditions of his hits like “Baby” and “As Long As You Love Me.‰Û Sometimes, it sounds like a parody of itself, lyrics barely stumbling out of his mouth in rhythmic form, much less sounding remotely melodic. The frustration with Bieber (beyond his grating public personality) is that he is capable of musical feats impressive for someone of his age, but he so frequently squanders his abilities with overproduced performances and energy-draining dance routines (he‰’s no Usher, not yet anyway) that it‰’s hard to root for him, perfectly coiffed mane aside.

Justin Bieber performing “As Long As You Love Me‰” in two different modes:

Meanwhile, while modern pop is arguably a women‰’s game, superstars like Katy Perry, Rihanna and Ke$ha tend to dominate the pop charts whenever they release new singles, their live performances also leaving something to be desired. Of the three, Perry seems to have the most raw talent, even if her televised performances rarely show it off, but Rihanna and Ke$ha usually only demonstrate their lip-synching abilities in keeping with their predecessor Britney Spears.

For the purists, people who like artists who can emotionally connect to the content in their songs and deliver pleasing renditions, there are vestiges of the “old days.‰” Few singers in any genre have the vocal range or versatility of American Idol winners Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson (who has recently covered songs by artists as diverse as Eminem and Carly Rae Jepsen). P!nk is one of the few pop artists who can successfully balance impressive stage acrobatics with effective song delivery. Meanwhile, on the boys‰’ side, Usher is able to do what Bieber can only attempt, marrying his Michael Jackson-inspired hoofing with vocal confidence and unfailing energy.

And Bruno Mars, though lately off the radar while concocting his sophomore album, has a smooth, listenable voice and often alters the arrangement during live performances to emphasize a particular style or genre, as with his James Brown choreography during “Runaway Baby‰” and moody a capella rendition of “It Will Rain.‰” These tweaks are avoid the stigma of re-creating a recording. Instead, he‰’s complementing it.

The short answer to the question proposed above? Pop music is whatever you want it to be, a self-created spectacle. There‰’s something for everyone: artificiality on the left, authenticity on the right. What‰’s one without the other?

By Mark Lieberman