By the 2010s, even the most understated singer-songwriters of the decade proved to be multitasking masters, weaving heartfelt confessions and witty quips around myriad styles as seemingly disparate as folk and hip-hop. Still, these are the artists that often hit hardest with their words, whether they’re wrapped in endless layers of mellow instrumentation, as heard on the haunting tales of Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver, or suited up with fresh pop hooks, like the sing-along anthems of Hozier and James Bay. Still, as much as new talents dominated the landscape—between Ed Sheeran’s coy, romantic ballads and Lana Del Rey’s poignant, poetic sagas—vets like Beck and Cat Power proved their staying power, slipping comfortably into lush, atmospheric sounds. It makes for a wildly diverse mix that brings together potent prose with fresh, innovative fusions of gothic soul, psych-rock, electro-pop, and genres still yet to be determined.