Summer guide 2011: Sex in concert!

In 1951, R&B group the Dominoes released "Sixty Minute Man," a crossover hit that helped shape modern pop music. The song was blatant in its sexuality, a theme that stuck in Top 40.

As any cultural conservative will bemoan, things only got raunchier from there. By today's desensitized standards, even Britney Spears' late-'90s Lolita act seems tame. To combat this, the current crop of pop divas (including a grown-up Spears) have uniquely branded their amorous overtones. It's no longer enough to simply suggest. Nowadays you've got to be explicit and have an angle.

Overblown sexuality isn't the only trend -- these starlets also grab listeners like never before. Lyrical pronouns like "you" and "we" are roping in new-media 'tweens with startling directness. Two common paths: "You're OK" and "You're part of the party." A cynic might suggest the former panders to insecurities and the latter to misplaced priorities, but it's probably just a means to jolt sensory-overloaded millennials.

Here are the pop queens visiting the Twin Cities this summer, in all their tactical eroticism and calculated relatability. And ya know something? Beyond the transparent marketing angles, the pop music being churned out by these ladies is pretty damn good.

How she'll sex you: Violently, it turns out. The Barbadian "it" girl gets frank with her single "S&M," professing a love of sex smells and whip-aided arousal. Heavily tattooed and oft-pantless, Rihanna has made a conscious push away from her previously PG image.

How she'll engage you: Two ways! She'll be your loyal BFF in hard times (2007 single "Umbrella). But RiRi will also need a firm erection from you, pending proper girth: "Can you get it up?/Is you big enough?" (2010's "Rude Boy").

The Big Picture: The whitewashed era of Britneys, Christinas, Mandys and Jessicas was a yawner. Rihanna incorporates reggae, dancehall and world beat arrangements under her impressively charismatic vocal work. An M.I.A. for the mainstream, she's not afraid to take pop into worldlier -- and more creative -- places.

How she'll engage you: Are you seeing sunlight? No matter, says Spears in her current club anthem "Till the World Ends," we're gonna keep dancing. "If You Seek Amy" is pretty direct in what it's asking of the listener, too.

The Big Picture: Poor Brit Brit is a mere shell these days, a puppet for the world's premier pop craftspeople to trot out. She's still an icon ... but of what?

How she'll sex you: "You wanna sleep on me, overnight?/I'm the motherfucking boss, overwrite," spits Minaj on "Roman's Revenge" off her debut "Pink Friday." Despite the Barbie fixation, she's no plaything. Minaj calls the shots, in the bedroom and elsewhere.

How she'll engage you: Minaj actually skirts this part, defaulting to good ol' rap-star narcissism.

The Big Picture: She's an enigma, thus far. Certain verses (the one on Kanye's "Monster," for instance) hint at something great. But too many tracks on the uneven "Pink Friday" are as cartoonish as the rapper's public image.

How she'll engage you: Well, "do you ever feel like a plastic bag?" Katy lends hope to the most downtrodden with "Firework," a validating single that talks 'tweens off the ledge.

The Big Picture: Hopefully more Cyndi Lauper than Toni Basil. Her personality and powerful singles appear to have staying power, but we'll see.

How she'll sex you: You'll both be drunk. There'll be tons of glitter and little romance. Ke$h's current tour is dubbed the "Get $leazy Tour;" a giant, dancing penis allegedly takes the stage nightly. Boys try to touch her junk (2009's "Tik Tok") and she's prepared to hit on them back ... hard (2010's "We R Who We R").

How she'll engage you: Through the Church of Partying. "If you're one of us/Then roll with us," her clarion call for clubbers on "We R Who We R," is a constant theme.