Name recognition

Several fits and starts were required before I could find any rhythm to this column. We were catching up on a weekend of recorded television after a quick trip to the banks of the Mississippi, and I sat down to write while—not my choice—a Sunday Morning segment on Michael Bolton replayed in the background.

To me, Bolton ranks in the same muck with Kenny G, Celine Dion and pretty much anyone else responsible for overdubbed, under thought hits for the masses. Yeah, his talent is not in question. But even he admits that people remember his hair more than his lyrics.

Well, that’s an implication on...