Arno

With his whiskey-and-cigarettes vocals, blues-inspired arrangements, and acerbic lyrics, the Belgium-born Arno regularly earned comparison to gutter poets like Serge Gainsbourg and Tom Waits. His group TC Matic emerged as one of the more successful European acts of the early '80s, but he went solo in 1986 with a self-titled debut. After spending virtually the entirety of his career writing and singing in English, Arno embraced French for 1995's chart-topping Les Yeux de Ma Mere, which dabbled in genres spanning from jazz to tango. French Bazaar (2005) was also recorded solely in French and earned the Victoire de la Musique award for Best Pop-Rock Album. ~ Jason Ankeny