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India.Arie 

With an acoustic guitar and a few clever samples, India.Arie appeared toward the end of an aesthetic shift for R&B established by D'Angelo, Maxwell and Erykah Badu. Her folky hits "Video" and "Brown Skin" helped reel in bottle-poppin' radio, resulting in restrained, restorative R&B. The subgenre of neo-soul had the effect of pushing tradition-aware, politicized black musicians back to the underground. Fortunately, R&B heads are dedicated types, and that has allowed Arie, mostly neglected by the mainstream in the past decade, a self-sustaining career. On her new album, Songversation, she approaches middle age with a mindful, centered sense of calm, communicating wizened acceptance and a low-key D.I.Y. creative spirit. —Brandon Soderberg