Madeleine Peyroux

This woman sounds so much like Billie Holiday and yet is completely herself. How does she pull it off? Imitators are usually derided for being unable to find their own voice but Peyroux comes across as completely authentic. What great music! Her cover of Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome" deserves repeated listening. There's a nice (and somewhat critical) NPR Fresh Air piece that you can listen to here.