"Since You Broke It" by Graham Colton Band

Graham Colton is a football star turned singer/songwriter from Oklahoma. With their pop sensibilities and lofty choruses, Colton and his band quickly gained popularity in the early 2000s that led to the release of their debut album, "Drive", in 2004.

After performing with the likes of Better Than Ezra, John Mayer, Maroon 5, and Counting Crows, Colton pursued a solo career leading to 2007's "Here Right Now". Helped by the single, "Best Days", which was featured on American Idol, the record reached #153 on the Billboard Top 200. The album should have been mined for additional hits. Colton continues to crank out solid pop rock fare that can be heard on many a TV show, and with any luck will one day get the wider recognition he deserves.

"Since You Broke It" provides a glimpse into why so many people were excited about Graham Colton and his band. 

"Only You And I Know" by Phil Collins

It seemed that Phil Collins could do no wrong in the 80s. His first couple solo releases earned him a few chart splashes, but things really kicked into high gear with his first #1 in 1984, "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)". The song earned him a Grammy for Pop Male Vocal and was quickly followed up by another hit, a duet with Philip Bailey called "Easy Lover" that reached #2.

Enter his biggest blockbuster record, 1985's "No Jacket Required", which stayed at #1 for 7 weeks and has sold over 12 million. The record would give Collins two more #1 hits, "One More Night" and "Sussudio", and two more top 10 hits, "Don't Lose My Number" (#4) and "Take Me Home" (#7). In-between, he scored another #1 hit with "Separate Lives", a duet with Marilyn Martin that appeared on the soundtrack to White Nights.

With this kind of success, it is no wonder Collins was ranked the #8 most successful artist of the 80s. Beyond the radio hits on "No Jacket Required" are a number of other gems, like "Only You And I Know". 

"Compliment" by Collective Soul

Collective Soul struck gold in 1994 with their breakthrough hit, "Shine", which reached #11. As one of the first post-grunge bands out of the gate, the band made melody and harmony cool again. They avoided the sophomore jinx by scoring more hits with "Gel" (#49), "December" (#20), and "The World I Know" (#19).

For reasons I'm not sure I'll ever understand, the band has continued to make great albums, yet hasn't seen the top 40 singles chart since 1996. I'm not sure why Collective Soul doesn't get the same kind of attention that similar rock bands from the 90s get, like Foo Fighters. Collective Soul is still going strong though - this year they released their ninth studio album, "See What You Started By Continuing", which made it to #25 on the Billboard Top 200.

"Compliment" is one of my favorites from their 1999 effort, "Dosage". Enjoy this live version of the song, which features a full orchestra. You can find this version on the band's live CD, "Home".

"Superhero" by Collapsis

Collapsis was an alternative rock band from North Carolina that reminds me of The Calling, largely because the singer (Mike Garrigan) sounds a bit like Alex Band. The band's name comes from the title of song by fellow Carolina rockers, Dillon Fence.

Collapsis only released one full-length record, 2000's "Dirty Wake". The album is filled with melodic rock songs with just a touch of grit, sung passionately by Garrigan. Some people might recognize the lead-off single, "Automatic". "Superhero" is another standout track. 

A year later, Garrigan joined the band Athenaeum and can also be heard in an outfit called mg4. 

"I Am So Ordinary" by Paula Cole

Before her breakthrough 1996 album, "This Fire", Paula Cole replaced Sinead O'Connor on Peter Gabriel's 1993-1994 tour. Hot off the heels of this tour, the rising star released her debut album, "Harbinger". But the label folded shortly thereafter and her single, "I Am So Ordinary", likely suffered the consequences of this bad timing. It is a heartbreaking song of longing for another's affections.

But don't feel too bad for Paula Cole - her next record, "This Fire", was huge, scoring her 3 top 40 hits and the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1997. From this album, "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?" hit #8, "I Don't Want To Wait" hit #11 (and was used as the theme for the hit TV show Dawson's Creek), and "Me" hit #35.

"Worlds Apart" by Jude Cole

Jude Cole is a hugely underrated singer/songwriter who almost broke through at the end of the 80s with his first top 40 hit, "Baby, It's Tonight", which got to #16 in 1990. "Time For Letting Go" was an excellent follow-up track, but it stalled at #32. A third single, "House Full Of Reasons", fared even worse, unable to get past #69. These terrific songs and many more can all be found on his most successful record, "A View From 3rd Street", which went to #138 on the Billboard Top 200.

Jude Cole's next record, his third as a solo artist, was called "Start The Car". The title track didn't get off to much of a start, stopping in its tracks at #71 in 1992. The ballad, "Tell The Truth", did a little better reaching #57. I really thought this acoustic driven song, "Worlds Apart", would launch Cole back into the spotlight, but it was a tough time in the music biz that year if you weren't doing grunge or techno. Featured on this track are backing vocals by half of Damn Yankees: Tommy Shaw (Styx) and Jack Blades (Night Ranger).

Prior to his solo career, Jude Cole was in the underground rock band The Records from 1980-1981. He later became a very successful producer, writer, and manager for other artists like Lifehouse.

"Stupid Girl" by Cold

The hard rock band from sunny Florida, ironically named Cold, scored their one and only top 100 hit with "Stupid Girl" in 2003. Despite being rather well-known, the song surprisingly only reached #87, but helped propel the album from which it came, "Year Of The Spider", to an admirable peak position of #3 on the Billboard Top 200.

To my ears, it was one of the most melodic songs Cold recorded to date, a sound they tried to expand on for their next album, "A Different Kind Of Pain". The album yielded no charting singles and stalled at #26, being criticized by some for lacking the aggressive edge fans had come to expect from Cold.

"Pacing The Cage" by Bruce Cockburn

Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn never set fire to the US music charts, but he hasn't had a complete absence either. He hit #21 in 1980 with "Wondering Where The Lions Are" and #88 in 1985 with "If I Had A Rocket Launcher".

Cockburn has amassed a remarkable number of songs over his 40 year career, but this one always stops me in my tracks. This melancholy acoustic ballad comes from his 1996 record, "The Charity of Night".

"Rock And Roll Band" by The Relevant Elephants

If you miss the alt rock bands of the 90s, The Relevant Elephants may be able to quench your thirsty ears. Their first full-length record, "Paper Walls", is out now, and it is bursting with quirky riffs and lofty sing-along choruses. Kind of like Possum Dixon meets The Black Keys.

Do we need another rock and roll band? One listen to the song and you'll be emphatically screaming yes! Learn more about this up and coming band at their web site.

"She Looks A Lot Like You" by Clocks

Clocks was a rock group from Kansas that mysteriously evaded the big time in the 80s. Their tunes had a touch of that trademark "new wave" sound, and this song got considerable airplay in the early days of MTV. "She Looks A Lot Like You" would only reach #67 in 1982, but it didn't set off anyone's alarms and the Clocks quickly fell into obscurity.

Rumor has it that the band was nearly chased off the stage opening for Black Sabbath in 1980. Whoever came up with that pairing must have been high as a kite. 

"Substitute" by Clout

Clout was an all-girl pop group from South Africa who put their ABBA-like spin on a number of tunes in the 70s. Among some of the artists they've covered are Hall and Oates, Eric Clapton, and Russ Ballard (Argent).

Clout's songs populated the charts throughout the world until they broke up in 1981, but here in the US they barely became one-hit wonders with their excellent rendition of "Substitute", originally performed by The Righteous Brothers. Clout's version got to #67.

"Time Machine" by The Click Five

Influenced by power pop bands like Cheap Trick, The Click Five scored a hit in 2005 with the catchy tune, "Just The Girl". This single from their debut album went to an impressive #11, but unfortunately would prove to be their one and only appearance on the charts.

The band's first album, "Greetings From Imrie House", would reach #15. Their follow-up record petered out at #136. After hearing "Just The Girl" and the rest of their debut, I always thought The Click Five would be huge. "Time Machine" is just one of many highlights that have the perfect blend of modern melodic pop and rock that normally would be all over radio. 

The world would be a better place with more Click Five records like "Greetings". The band broke up shortly after their 2010 album, "TCV", failed to chart.

"Pollyanna" by Classics IV

"Pollyanna" is a catchy tune from 1966 by Classics IV that probably would have charted if the manager of The Four Seasons didn't demand that radio stop playing it. Classics IV were known as simply "The Classics" back then at the genesis of their career, and sounded a lot more like the Four Seasons than the smooth jazz rock that later made them famous. So this move by the manager of The Four Seasons may have been a blessing in disguise, but for real? Afraid of a little competition?

Not only did the Classics have to stop playing what was arguably destined to be a hit, and change their sound to avoid the comparison to Four Seasons, they also had to change their name since another band named The Classics already existed. So lead singer Dennis Yost changed the band's name to Classics IV, since there were four members in his band.

Classics IV would get their due with monster hits like "Spooky" (#3 in 1967), "Stormy" (#5 in 1968), and "Traces" (#2 in 1969).

"Born Too Late" by The Clarks

Pennsylvania-based indie rock band, The Clarks, formed way back in 1986 and have been quietly cranking out quality tunes ever since. "Born Too Late" (not a cover of the hit by The Poni-Tails) is a terrific mid-tempo rocker from the band's 2000 release, "Let It Go" (my favorite from their extensive discography). 

Too bad these guys flew under the radar - they should have been household names.

"I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" by Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is one of the greatest musicians of our age and has dominated the music scene since his first hit, "After Midnight", reached #18 in 1970. Most of his biggest hits came from that decade, but he still had a productive career adapting his rhythm and blues rock to the 80's sounds. In the 90s he came back in a big way with the heartbreaking hit "Tears In Heaven", which went to #2 in 1992. Clapton went on to have one of the most successful "unplugged" albums ever, hitting #1 for 3 weeks and selling over 10 million copies.

2001's "Reptile" didn't spawn any charting singles (Clapton's last top 100 hit was "My Father's Eyes", which hit #16 in 1998), but the album did very well, clawing its way to #5. I think it is one of his best records from that decade - it shifts between musical styles effortlessly yet still sounds like a cohesive collection. "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" is among the rocking tracks on this record, initially a #11 hit for Stevie Wonder in 1980, who sounded as if he were mocking a country singer.

Embedding is disabled for the video for some reason, but you can check it out here.

"Make Your Own Way" by Cinderella

Philly band Cinderella seemed to have found a glass slipper that fit by glamming it up in the 80s. Championed by the likes of Gene Simmons and Jon Bon Jovi, Cinderella's debut album was a smash (peaking at #3 in 1987). "Night Songs" was propelled by the success of their second single and epic breakup anthem, "Nobody's Fool", which reached #13 in 1986. The first single, the now-classic "Shake Me", didn't chart.

The band suffered no sophomore jinx, despite toning down the glam and switching from metal to a bluesier rock sound. "Long Cold Winter" got to #10 and produced four charting singles, the biggest being the monster ballad, "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)", which hit #12 in 1988.

The band's sound evolved further by 1990's record, "Heartbreak Station". Cinderella should be applauded for not being so one-dimensional, but this album began the band's decline with the mainstream. The only charting singles were "Shelter Me" (#36) and the title track (#44) - it is surprising they didn't fare better, but artistic growth is seldom rewarded. The album has some other strong yet overlooked cuts like the kickass rocker, "Make Your Own Way".

"Lights Are On But No One's Home" by The Churchills

American indie band The Churchills never got their due in the 2000s. Despite an appearance on the hit show Spin City and getting some music placed in Scrubs and a T-shirt nod in The Sopranos, their brand of power pop and rock never gained significant traction among the mainstream. 

This excellent track kicks off their 2002 release, "Big Ideas".

"Spark" by The Church

Aussie bands were taking the States by storm in the mid- to late 80s and we can count The Church among them. Their brand of moody rock broke through in 1988 with the single, "Under The Milky Way", which reached #24. The track came from their fifth album, "Starfish", which peaked at #41.

Surprisingly, the band would never be able to capitalize on this breakthrough success, at least in the US. Perhaps instead of "Reptile" they would have sustained their run on the charts with "Spark", which I view as a superior track.

"Time And Time Again" by Chronic Future

Chronic Future seemed poised for the big time in 2004 with the release of their album, "Lines In My Face". While rap metal has always been a hard sell, acts like Rage Against The Machine and Kid Rock had found huge audiences. With their cerebral lyrics and killer choruses, Chronic Future should have been a high flier.

"Time And Time Again" lays out the band's typical formula for this record - strut in with some spoken word verses that build up to an ultra-catchy chorus you can bang your head to among the shredding guitars. This record should have been a genre-crossing smash, with additional strong cuts like the Offspring-sounding "World Keeps Spinning (A Chronic Future)" and "Thank You".