On her hit second album, this Canadian-Guyanese singer shows she's a multidimensional diva. Melanie Fiona belts her way through "Wrong Side of a Love Song," where her supple voice is framed by organ and string flourishes; "Watch Me Work" is hard funk with trashy-riffing guitar; and "Can't Say I Never Loved You" spools a lost-love lament around a gentle ukulele strum. (Even when she's sad, she's innovating.) Big-name guests like Nas ("Running") and John Legend ("L.O.V.E.") accentuate Fiona's strengths instead of overshadowing them, a testament to her supreme confidence.

Listen to "Can't Say I Never Loved You":

Related
• Photos: Random Notes

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.