New Orleans native Ledisi Young matches her powerhouse vocal range with songwriting that excels in socially conscious self-affirmation (see “Bravo”). After debuting with 2000's Soulsinger: The Revival, she has consistently mingled soul with fresh flavors of jazz, funk, blues and hip-hop. Though she's especially suited to simmering torch numbers like “In the Morning” and “Joy”, her Aretha-worthy turn on “Everything Changes” is downright triumphant. Beyond her increasingly confident albums, Ledisi played—and sang brilliantly as—gospel icon Mahalia Jackson in the 2014 film Selma.