I'd say Nickelback and Michael Bolton are the biggest sellouts. Starting out as the very pinnacles of innovation within their given genres, they stifled their creativity for years to come just in order to stay mainstream, safe and popular.
Nickelback haven't produced an artistic, creative masterpiece since The State (2001) and I doubt they'll ever reach those heights again. As for Michael Bolton, I can at least happily say that he's transcended industry expectations in his latest offering, Bolton Swings Sinatra. This offers at least a final ray of hope, a small beacon of light on a pitch-dark horizon, that Mike will produce a final Magnum Opus to match the ecstatic, sublime heights of Soul Provider (1989). I suggest anybody should check out his collaborative effort with Bob Dylan, on that very album.
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