If you were advising a brand new player on a class,

[Waffen]

druid soloing is fairly slow until 34 when you can effectively quad mobs. i mean, the downtime is still there, but the xp yield soothes the burn of sitting for 10 minutes medding up to 100% mana.

mage is fun to play but could get boring fast to a new player(esp from a faceroll game like WoW).

shamans are great for new players since you get SoW at lvl 9 and never have to worry about running slow again. also, they receive a pet in their mid 30s that helps quite a bit with soloing, and they are the ultimate buff sluts.

i wouldn't suggest bard being unfamiliar with the game. knowing what songs to twist when can get hectic in a group atmosphere, and aoe kiting would probly be tough for a new player to pull off.

enchanters are great to have solely for breeze/clarity, and they aren't bad soloers to boot, albeit a different kind of soloing than the other classes, but it works! they're also sought out for groups for le mezzes which will help in later levels when soloing xp slows down a bit.

it really comes down to the person's play style and what they enjoy when playing an MMO. overall though, i'd say go with a mage to get a feel for norrath. then, you'll get familiar with the game, and also rake in some cash to twink a new toon, once they've figured out the bells and whistles, if they so desire.

hope that helps ^.^