THE MOTHER LODE

Just like every Sunday, the Best Buy newspaper circular for May 6 featured a page with new and recent CDs for sale.

What stood out were the six discs grouped together under the heading "Best Sellers for Mom." They included recent releases by Musiq Soulchild, John Mayer, Norah Jones (above), Celtic Woman, Il Divo and Beyonce.

The phrase Mom Music has been tossed around for years, and this holiday sales hook by a major retail chain only justifies its existence.

Is being dubbed Mom Music a compliment or an insult to musicians? There's no definite answer, but either way, sales are sales in the end, and moving product is just fine with artists and retailers.

And what exactly is Mom Music, anyway? Well, songs tend be melodic yet lyrically safe (forget about curse words and controversial subjects), feature no instrumental extremes (never loud, and no overplaying) and have modern-yet-still-traditional production qualities (i.e. relatively slick, with a crystal-clear mix).

Image-wise, Mom Music acts should look contemporary (small earrings and tattoos are OK, and so is clean, stylish long hair), skewing toward conservative (skintight and skimpy clothes are frowned upon).

That said, the list of Mom Music-makers isn't limited to the aforementioned artists. Here are some other current stars who fit into the category:

The Fray: Piano, sensitive vocals and hooky choruses are key Mom Music ingredients, and this band has all three.

Josh Groban: This pop/classical singer is a double threat: He appeals to mothers and grandmothers.

Mat Kearney: Sensitive singer/songwriters like Kearney make for the prototypical Mom Music artist.

Just about any Top 10 American Idol contestant from any season: Especially Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood.

As for veteran Mom Music artists, let's not forget Sheryl Crow and Lenny Kravitz: Both kinda rock but don't ever push the envelope too far. That goes for their originals and their cover songs, which include boring interpretations of Cat Stevens and Guess Who material, respectively.

Have a happy Mother's Day, and please keep the stereo at a reasonable volume.