Entertainment

Ready to pop

For everyone tired of the constant “boom boom pow” of the Black Eyed Peas and gagging on Lady Gaga — she’s so last year — members of the class of 2010 are in the wings ready to take the stage. Here are half a dozen of the best and hottest new artists to keep an eye — and an ear — on this year.

* THE CRIBS: This Brit punk/pop brother band (above) has flirted with greatness since the group’s inception back in 2002, becoming one of the UK’s most popular cult acts. But there always seems to be another act that overshadows the boys. All that’s changed since Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr listened, liked what he heard and asked to join the band. Now a quartet, the band’s album “Ignore the Ignorant” was released late in November here in the US, and it’s starting to make an impact. This is the year the Cribs will rock America. Their music is loud, honest rock ’n’ roll with a punk edge. They play the Fillmore on Jan. 16. You can still get a ticket, but this time next year they’ll be untouchable.

* KE$HA: Take a pinch of Britney, a dash of Gaga and enough Rihanna to give the mix funk, and you start to get the vibe of 22-year-old Ke$ha’s debut hip-pop dance record. It’s called “Animal” and has 14 songs, all written by Miss K., and not one of ’em sends you scrambling to whack the skip button. The tunes are rowdy yet polished, sexy but never lewd — and there is a sense of young, sassy humor. The record’s first single, “Tik Tok” (already released), is a major hit; she says she wrote it after waking up naked in bed with a bunch of her girlfriends. She remembers thinking, “This is what P. Diddy feels like every morning.”

“Animal” releases today.

* THE WEBB SISTERS: If you happened to catch one of Leonard Cohen’s three New York concerts last year, you might remember the two girls in his band he referred to as his “angels.” The girls with halos were the Webb Sisters, Charley and Hattie (below). Their album, still untitled, is due later this spring, but in the meantime they have a four-song teaser EP called “The Other Side” that has a musical depth born in an acoustic Celtic tradition. Their music might be considered folk by some, but their harmonies transcend any one style.

* THE MAIN DRAG: It’ll shock most Yankees fans, but everything from Boston doesn’t automatically suck. Take indie rock quintet the Main Drag (above). The group is a Beantown export with a very fresh sound that straddles genres. In many ways — from the sound to the storytelling lyrics — the group will find fans already devoted to local indie heroes Fountains of Wayne. The band has released two previous albums, but it’s the upcoming seven-song EP “You Are Underwater” that should cinch its reputation. If all that fails, they could fall back on their day jobs. Everyone in the band (with the exception of bassist Dan Cardinal) works for Harmonix Music Systems, creators of the “Rock Band” gaming system. The Main Drag plays the Delancey Saturday night.

* KATHERINE JENKINS: On her debut US record, “Believe,” the classically trained mezzo-soprano Welshwoman (right) manages to bridge pop and classical music with a voice that’s so big you’d expect her to be onstage at the Metropolitan Opera rather than interpreting Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” and the Evanescence hit “Bring Me to Life.” With a voice that rivals Celine Dion, Jenkins already has a following in the UK, as well as fans among like-minded popera superstars. Andrea Bocelli is one, and he even helped on the song “I Believe.” While the Bocelli boost certainly elevates Jenkins’ status, Bocelli also benefits by finally finding a duet partner with whom he has chemistry. “Believe” releases Feb. 2.

* HARPER BLYNN: After a great show at the CMJ music festival this fall, hometown

band Harper Blynn (below) is ready to impress the rest of America. The group features songwriters Pete Harper and J. Blynn, Long Islander Sarab Singh and a Dutchman who goes by the curious handle Whynot. While everyone in the band sings, Harper and Blynn are the leads. Their harmonies give their original alt-rock music a gentler mood that’s often reminiscent of the vocal blend between David Crosby and Graham Nash. Their album, “Loneliest Generation,” is due in April. It was recorded over a grueling 10-day stretch that captured the rush of this band’s live performances.

dan.aquilante@nypost.com