The Poor Man's...Music Edition

 This is a new series that I'd like to call The Poor Man's. Now if you've heard this term before you know what I mean. But for those who don't know The Poor Man's means the artist, actor, show, etc. that is a ripoff or cheaper version of an established version of something. For instance, it can apply to anything such as Gumby's is The Poor Man's Pizza Hut. So that being said, I will give you the inaugural edition of The Poor Man's.

Color Me Badd is The Poor Man's Boyz II Men
  Now let's face it Boyz II Men and Color Me Badd came out at the same time. The seemed to have the same vocal approach and everything, but there was a clear frontrunner and they happened to be the biggest selling R&B group of the entire 20th century. Boyz II Men's songs are timeless, romantic and passionate. That could be said about "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd, but really the best thing it's bought us is as one of  the many inspirations for the Justin Timberlake/Andy Samberg SNL duo. However, that being said they broke up and we tuned out while Boyz II Men kept going. There have been lineup changes and such but they still sound as good as they did in 1992. (P.S. I did see them in concert a few years ago for $1!)

Reuben Studdard is The Poor Man's Luther Vandross
 Luther Vandross is the silky voiced soul legend whose songs inspired a generation. And by a generation, I mean for people to listen to him and have a generation's worth of kids. But still, his voice is beautiful and ethereal, something that many artists don't possess. Reuben Studdard is gifted and though his voice is nice, he really hasn't gone beyond being the 2nd person to win American Idol. Even though Luther Vandross has been gone for some time, his influence and his legacy live on through his music.

Marc Anthony is The Poor Man's Jon Secada
 Now for those of you not familiar with Jon Secada, please go to YouTube immediately and look at his videos. In the early 90's he did it all: ballads, up-tempos and Disney soundtracks. He isn't in the spotlight as much but once you hear his voice you don't forget it. Marc Anthony, on the other hand, has tried to capture the same type of attention and recognition world wide but has had to deal with the shadow of Secada and his soon to be ex-wife, J.Lo.

The Pussycat Dolls are The Poor Man's Spice Girls
 Let's face it folks, nothing will ever top the Girl Power Revolution that was the late 1990s. No group or solo artist has had the kind of influence the Spice Girls have had. They had merchandising, movies, and much more. Not only that but years after their collective heyday, we're still following the exploits of them and their families. The Pussycat Dolls are trained dancers who look great, but how many people can sing "Don't Cha" the same way as "Wannabe?" Nonetheless, the lineup changes and poor choice in material has resulted as a constant are they or aren't they? But nobody's really waiting for them to come back.

Please, if you have any suggestions for the next edition of The Poor Man's, feel free to let me know. It'd be greatly appreciated.