Back to Black
By Amy Winehouse
She may be in her early twenties, but Amy Winehouse’s voice is older, richer, and more experienced. It’s the voice of a woman who has been jilted, jaded, brazen, and bold. It’s the voice of a woman with loud defiance and quiet power. It’s a sultry, seductive voice. You can hear shades of Shirley Bassey in Winehouse’s rich vocals, and you almost wander when she’ll be singing an over-the-top Bond tune herself. (Her hit track, You Know I’m No Good, is a devilish, jazzy delight.) Released at the end of 2006 in the U.K., it’s only now getting the mass recognition it deserves. Click on the image to buy now!
 

Stay in the Shade
By José González
No one looks and sounds less like a “José González” than José González. But that won’t matter when you hear his beautiful guitar accompany his suddenly stronger vocals (on his debut album, his voice was often lost). González is quickly developing a knack for remaking pop hits into soulful, stirring acoustic tracks (check out “heartbeats” on his last album and “hand on your heart” on this one), but his original stuff is just as good. Fans of Nick Drake and Kings of Convenience should make room in their song libraries for him. Click on the image to buy now!