She grew up listening to '70s soul and '80s hip-hop, but Erykah Badu drew more comparisons to Billie Holiday upon her breakout in 1997, after the release of her first album, Baduizm. The grooves and production on the album are bass-heavy R&B, but Badu's langurous, occasionally tortured vocals and delicate phrasing immediately removed her from... [+] Read More

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Jill Scott grew up in north Philadelphia and began her performing career reading her own poetry. She was heard by Amir, drummer in the Roots, who invited her to join the band in the studio, resulting in the co-composition "You Got Me," a Top 40 pop hit in 1999. Subsequently, she collaborated with Eric Benet, Will Smith, and Common and broadened... [+] Read More

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Macy Gray parlayed an utterly unique voice and an outlandish sense of style into R&B stardom at the turn of the millennium, appealing to audiences of all colors in search of a fresh alternative to mainstream soul. Gray was actually born Natalie McIntyre in Canton, OH, in 1970, and grew up a shy, awkward youngster who was frequently teased about... [+] Read More

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When her debut album, What's the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of Mary J. Blige's Yonkers, NY, childhood. Called alternately the new Chaka Khan or new Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically... [+] Read More

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A singer, a self-taught keyboardist, and a prolific songwriter, Angie Stone's first claim to fame was being the lead vocalist on Vertical Hold's smooth urban dance track "Seems You're Much Too Busy." An R&B Top 40 hit during the summer of 1993, it eventually led to a solo career, and her debut album Black Diamond was issued in 1999 by Arista. In... [+] Read More

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Setting uplifting songs of love and modern-city life to a mid-tempo, hook-laden blend of reggae, calypso, rap, and British pop, Des'ree has risen to the upper echelon of British R&B. Although she failed to reach an American audience with her 1992 duet with Terence Trent D'Arby, "Delicate," despite it being a Top Ten hit in the U.K., she made up... [+] Read More

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Rising from Oakland's vibrant underground, FEMI celebrates a trio of life forces on her debut EP, "Sweet Water Soul." It has love, the gift of prayer, and is fluid like water, which is the underlying theme of the EP. In tandem with FEMI's jazzy vocals, sensual lyrics, and gracious intent, the result is an unrivaled suite of original songs... [+] Read More

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Call Lauryn Hill the mother of hip-hop invention; with her 1998 solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the Fugees' most vocal member not only established herself as creative force on her own, but also broke new ground by successfully integrating rap, soul, reggae, and R&B into her own sound.

Raised in South Orange, NJ, Hill... [+] Read More

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When her debut album, What's the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of Mary J. Blige's Yonkers, NY, childhood. Called alternately the new Chaka Khan or new Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically... [+] Read More

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Along with fellow founders D'Angelo and Erykah Badu, Maxwell was enormously important in defining and shaping the neo-soul movement that rose to prominence over the latter half of the '90s. Drawing his greatest inspiration from the concept of the R&B auteur (looking to artists like Prince, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, etc.), Maxwell recorded some... [+] Read More

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Being the daughter of a minister, it's no surprise that Oleta Adams' roots are in gospel, as she often performed in her father's church. But her formal introduction to the masses began rather unexpectedly. While performing in a Kansas City hotel, Oleta Adams was discovered by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears, and she was invited... [+] Read More

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Remy Shand emerged on to the neo-soul circuit in 2002 with The Way I Feel, a potent canon of songs inspired by classic Motown and Memphis soul. Primarily home-schooled in his native Vancouver, Shand began raiding his parents record collection at an early age -- soaking up a wide range of jazz, soul, and R&B, with Marvin Gaye's classic Here, My... [+] Read More

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Based in Chicago, Illinois TERREA-NICOLE is an emerging Soul R&B singer/songwriter who has always had a natural love for music. She was selected as one of the "Top 25 Aspiring Artists" at the 15th Annual Music Seminar sponsored by local radio station WGCI in Chicago in 2006.

TERREA-NICOLE has continued to... [+] Read More

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In 2003, Terri Walker took her native London with authority. Untitled, her Def Soul debut, featured 14 slices of hot-buttered neo-soul that relaxed comfortably between tradition and the latest thing; it was an immediate hit, and Walker soon found herself vying against Beyoncé Knowles for Best Album honors at that year's Music of Black Origin... [+] Read More

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THE NEW SOUL (Various Artists) album is packed with powerful performances from Frank Cole (“Hosanna”), Bridgette Campbell (“He Reigns”), Denise Tichenor (“I Bow Down”), and Lonna Hardin (“Tender Mercy”). Plus, you’ll be blown away by some of Chicago and Detroit’s hottest new gospel... [+] Read More

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With the release of her debut CD, Moments of Clarity, Book 1 (2005) Wayna solidified herself as an emerging singer/songwriter and a compelling and vivid storyteller. Since then, the Ethiopian native, whose musical style can be found between Minnie Riperton, Lauryn Hill, and Simon and Garfunkel has used her soulful voice and dynamic stage show to... [+] Read More

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