If the message is more of a pop message, and if it's beat- and club-driven, then the sky's the limit.

FORBES: East Meets West

The pop legend - whose baby daughter was born last month - beat off stiff competition from James Bond star Pierce Brosnan and Oscar nominee Jude Law.

BBC: Bowie 'most stylish man'

Subsequently picked up by an indie label for 2005's Easy Beat, the group won raves for its fascinating combination of psychedelic pop hooks and Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies.

NPR: Dr. Dog: Classic Rock and Pop Made Simple

There's a crop of young American acts approaching the genre less as ethnomusicology and more like pop, from the hip-hop collage approach of New York's Balkan Beat Box to the emigre garage rock of Los Angeles' Dengue Fever, who headlined the festival's final night.

NPR: The Musical Worlds of WOMEX