Kelly Price

Before she had even released her first album, Kelly Price's voice became a hip-hop and R&B radio staple, acting as the Diana Ross stand-in on Biggie Small's "Mo Money, Mo Problems." The song couldn't possibly do her pipes justice, especially since the tiny spaces for exhibition of her vocal range meant that her humongous voice had less-than-sufficient room in which to work. Now, as an unhindered solo artist, Price proves that she has enough muscle to make desperate songs sound terribly heartbreaking -- and enough of a delicate touch to make love-hopeful tracks sound caressing.