Alice Smith

One of the most promising new R&B singers to emerge in the mid-2000s, Alice Smith grew up in Washington, D.C., and Augusta, GA, soaking up both rural and urban influences, which in turn informed her musical mix of the earthy and the cosmopolitan. Smith's 2006 debut album, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me, had enough soul to win over R&B audiences and enough edge to endear Smith to the indie crowd, creating eager anticipation of a follow-up.