I spent Friday critiquing an announcement of a distinguished honor, one that left me considering the merits of those involved.

No, I'm not talking about President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. I spent Friday contemplating this year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- hey, at least I have my priorities straight.

The list is solid, yet unspectacular -- any list containing Genesis is pretty tough to get fired up about. But the collection of those nominated made me think of how far popular music has fallen since the days of some of the nominees. Of course, this is simply my opinion on the subject; many people seem to enjoy the canned, repetitive garbage pumped out by jokes of bands like Nickelback.

Sorry -- I take that back. Except about Nickelback.

The real issue in today's popular music scene is the problem of artists buckling to the demands of record executives to create albums that reflect the "popular sound" of the moment, all the more fleeting in the information age. On one hand, I can't really blame artists for doing this. Many of them struggle for years just to get one break. In this situation, it's not unreasonable to think they're going to do whatever they can to make a buck. But shouldn't they retain their artistic freedom to play what they want? Isn't caving in terms of your musical style to make money the antithesis of what rock and roll is all about?

Let me give you two examples -- one is a guy who decided to suppress what he was good at to make money. He's very popular today because of it and has done pretty well for himself, although he defines "sell-out." The other is famous for avoiding the limelight and has held firm in his belief in his musical style for more than 40 years, earning the respect of critics, his peers and music diehards alike.

The first guy is John Mayer. Although it is rarely showcased in his bubblegum-pop songs that populate the radio, Mayer is a tremendous guitar player. Don't believe me? Check out the John Mayer Trio, which effectively serves as his "other" band, one that plays tons of bluesy jams and features Mayer's searing guitar.

I was skeptical myself until a friend introduced me to the band. Let's just say listening to Mayer play and bark like his hero, Stevie Ray Vaughan, is much more satisfying than the emasculating sound of "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

Thankfully, Mayer's newer music is starting to show some of this raw sound -- he's made his money and can afford to do so -- but his reputation as a crooner has at least been partially set.

In stark contrast to Mayer's decision to sell out for fame and riches and, until recently, Jennifer Aniston, is J.J. Cale.

Never heard of him? There's a reason for that. Cale's penchant for laying low is well-known, but his songs are famous to those who listen to more famous musicians -- "Call Me the Breeze" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Cocaine" and "After Midnight" by Eric Clapton -- all songs originally by Cale. He would be famous -- by all accounts he SHOULD be famous -- but Cale has chosen to stick to modest tours while pumping out more than 20 albums.

I'm not necessarily saying Cale is a better musician than Mayer is. I'm saying Cale has chosen to stick to his guns and play the music he loves to play instead of giving in to corporate wishes to play simply what will sell. We need more J.J. Cales.

And in case you were wondering, Cale's name wasn't on the list of nominees for the Hall of Fame. But it should be.