However tiresome Bryan Adams' music might sometimes sound, his dogged belief in simplicity over style is undeniably impressive.
Tell him about the meltdown of humanity. Force-feed him with doomsday prophecies. Advise him on the artistic merits of trip-hop.
Read him harsh reviews that brand his adolescent funtime rock as passe. Lock him in a studio afterwards, and he will still produce songs that promise to 'rock with you, baby'.
Not that this has hampered his rise to mega-stardom. For 18 years, he stood his ground by championing good ol' rock'n'roll and sold 50 million records, while all around him musical waves rose and fell. And here he is, - in tried and tested tradition - with On A Day Like Today, his 11th album.
His luck, however, seems to be running out. Those who have rocked with Adams all through the years seem to be drifting off to other pastures.
While past singles and albums gatecrashed the higher echelons of music charts with ease, the taster single from the album debuted at number 13 in the British charts, and swiftly vanished from the Top 40 two weeks later.