From what I’ve observed lately, various genres are blossoming in the music industry while pop begins to wither and lose its glitz. Grunge seems to be slowly reinventing itself and bands with Christian roots continue to flourish on the Billboard charts. But while commercially, hip hop artists continue to dominate with their forever appealing glut of songs, Charleston’s local music scene is sorely devoid of any trace of hip hop or R & B performers.

With Pearl Jam emerging from its monstrous shell after laying low while bands like Lifehouse and Nickelback have unimpressively taken stabs at making the best Eddie Vedder impersonations, fans of the early 90s grunge movement can breathe a sigh of relief.

Vedder, who spark plugged the success of multi-platinum Pearl Jam over a decade ago, sounds better than ever on his group’s latest musical endeavor. After the band’s two year hiatus, Vedder demonstrates how his vocals are all the more raw on the group’s first single, “I Am Mine,” which precedes the album of the same name due out Nov. 12.

Other albums due out Nov. 12, which will likely further cushion grunge’s thickening fan base, are Audioslave’s “Cochise” and a Nirvana best-of album featuring “You Know You’re Right,” the last song recorded by the group before Kurt Cobain’s 1994 suicide.

Of the three aforementioned albums, perhaps “Cochise” is the most anticipated. Audioslave consists of bits and pieces of other now defunct groups with former Soundgarden head honcho Chris Cornell on lead vocals and the dispersed remaining members of Rage Against the Machine filling in the instrumental roles.

Although rock never goes out of style, grunge-fused rock hasn’t really cropped up since Nirvana’s heyday subsided after its late leader’s tragic suicide.

With the guitar being the essential driving force behind music in general, grunge’s re-emergence is no coincidence. However, for a while it looked as though consumers would have to resort to pleasuring their ear drums for the next few years with souring pop tunes, which have overtaken radio airplay in recent years with Britney Spears and other pop moguls releasing cookie cutter album after album chiseled specifically for teenage audiences.

Pop doesn’t totally make me cringe or anything, and although I might not own any albums from this genre, I can’t say I don’t like some of the beats popularized by pop music.

But the time has come for pop to stop rearing its ugly head and become elusive for a while, because quite frankly the songs lack meaning and genuine emotion, thanks to all the technological studio-dubbing tools which are overused and give the whole genre its artificial musical flavor.

Radio stations are obviously in dire need of change, which they will probably get with grunge re-emerging and also more records to spin with many bands shedding their Christian labels while still keeping faith rooted in their music.

Creed may be one of the most popular bands on the market today that reflect Christian values, although it has shied away from the Christian label. Lead singer Scott Stapp’s lyrics reflect his Christian upbringing and values in arguably every one of the band’s albums.

P.O.D. and Jars of Clay also were formerly categorized as Christian bands, but now have shunned the label apparently to appeal to a larger audience sector besides increasing their fan bases so they are not limited to just followers of the Christian genre. Also, they may be fearful their band names will have a connotation attached.

On the other end of the spectrum, hip hop and R & B are thriving like never before. And while I enjoy many genres of music, nothing tops the constant creativity hip hop artists incorporate into their music.

No matter what time of year it is, hip hop and R & B has an impact that is ever more unique with its continuously changing subject matter and sound alternation.

The big gripe I have is while grunge musical styles and bands with Christian values visit Charleston bars occasionally, regional indie hip hop, if you will, is virtually nonexistent in a town already suffering from a lack of diverse entertainment options.

Wouldn’t it be neat to go to a bar or to a University Board mainstage concert and absorb some soulful R & B or some hip hop tunes?

Maybe that’s one reason why there is often low turnouts for rock bands playing at pubs. People are so sick of the same thing and have come to a point when they hear a local rock artist is performing, they have a mind frame about what to expect from the show.

Not to say that it isn’t a blessing to have local bands playing for students on weekends when people inevitably find themselves sparse on entertainment ideas. Maybe I’m just in the dark on the local central Illinois music scene, but it seems to me the lack of hip hop and R & B performances is something plaguing not only Charleston, but rural colleges across the state. Obviously, big-city universities have access to more upscale clubs and bars where a variety of genres are more prevalent since artists prefer showcasing their music at loftier venues and to larger audiences.

However, just think how cool it would be to have a change for once in Charleston, despite its unenviable geographic location, in the form of a hip hop or R & B gig delivering a sweeter twist to an otherwise bland local music scene.

The thought is music to my ears.