Beat, I agree with you on the pop sensibilities part. I've always appreciated great musicians with pop sensilities more than those without. I don't get why "pop" is such a dirty word these days. I have a pretty wide definition of pop, though... like I consider Coltrane, or even Tom Waits to have pop sensibilities on many songs on the Rain Dogs album, and I wouldn't say the Pussycat Dolls have any pop sensibility to their songs at all, but I digress. I guess pop sensilities to me means songwriting, not just technical musicianship. The pop aspect of songs only makes them better, and pop sensibilities only makes a musician better. Thats why I think Hendrix is probably the best guitarist or even just the best musician I've ever heard; he wasn't just amazing at playing guitar, but he could focus his talent into elegantly simple, but still deep, innovative, and visionary pop songs. John Mayer runs in this vein, too, and for that he is better than most guys out there today.