Chrisette Michele

• Genre: Contemporary R&B

About

Simply put, Chrisette Michele has one of the most beautiful voices in modern R&B. Her restrained phrasing and sweet tenor points towards bygone eras, allowing her to carve out a niche within pop music. It's a distinctly retro sound, but unlike Joss Stone or even Amy Winehouse, Michele doesn't seem content to simply relive the old days. The production work on her 2007 debut, I Am, is distinctly modern. That album was greeted with widespread critical acclaim, and though it didn't have a large commercial impact, it did seemingly reach the right people, and the New York singer was nominated for two Grammys in 2008. Michele has also lent her beautiful voice to tracks by hip-hop stars such as Jay-Z and Nas.

- Sam Chennault