Singing and dancing doesn’t work for all

To mark Usher and Tina Turner coming to town, here’s a look at five other artists who combine singing and dancing. …

Janet Jackson: Granted, it is up for debate whether she is actually singing (or lip-syncing) at times, but her Rock Witchu Tour’s stop in Atlanta affirmed she hasn’t lost a step since she made her way on the scene as a solo artist in 1982.

Beyonce: A one-woman show. And what makes hers a step above Jackson’s is she has a much more powerful voice to complement her equally exciting moves.

Justin Timberlake: How many male recording artists are shooting for Michael Jackson’s spot as he (thankfully?) whiles time away in relative obscurity somewhere? Every other young performer in pop and R&B music, it seems. And waaay up there in the ranking is Timberlake.

Ne-Yo: Gaining on Usher and Timberlake in that Jackson wannabe competition is this Atlantan. Many want to minimize him as just a good singer, or just a good songwriter, but on the right night (remember the most recent BET Awards?) this imaginative performer just may outdo his peers.

Prince: Still a standard-bearer —- and an obvious admirer of Little Richard, James Brown and Michael Jackson.

And here are five others who should just stop at once trying to sing and dance. …

Rihanna: Yikes. What a surprise to see/learn during Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark Tour this past summer that this cover girl and seemingly nonstop hitmaker has little to no rhythm.

Alicia Keys: Just stay behind the piano, please. All of the class and sophistication you generally personify crumbles into borderline corniness when you try that choreography business.

John Legend: See above.

Madonna: At one point this pop titan would have been on the other list; now she doesn’t seem to be able to sing or dance to memorable effect. (What she was doing with Timberlake in that “4 Minutes” video looked more like exercise.)

Britney Spears: Two things at the same time comes across as too much for pop’s comeback girl to wrap her mind around, outside of music videos. It’s like you can see her counting out the steps in her head.