Rick Springfield- Decent talent or pretty-boy hack

[Stuck In The Eighties]

There was a comment in another thread about Rick Springfield and I wanted to get a perspective on what knowledgable music fans think about his body of work.
At first glance, most people admit that Jessie's Girl is a decent tune and he was basically a teen heartthrob, one-hit wonder.
But upon further review, you would notice that he had nearly ten "hits" in the 80's.
One thing I do know about Springfield is that he wrote his own music (both music and lyrics) and played guitar. He wasn't just a hired hand to look pretty and sing other people's tunes.
Looking back at his career, my opinion is that his physical appearance went a long way in getting him heard in the early days of MTV. After his early success, I believe that his looks may have actually hurt his chances of ever being taken seriously as a rock/pop musician.

What are your thoughts on Springfield's catalog? (And, NO, I'm not claiming he is new wave!)


________________________
Challenging preconceived ideas
Saying goodbye to long standing fears