16. John Legend

Getting Out Our Dreams/Sony Urban Music/Columbia

Earthy alternative soul nearly disappeared from the charts in 2005, with one important exception: John Legend and his protector Kanye West came up with a mainstream breakthrough for a crafty singer-songwriter whose R&B comes across simultaneously classic and hip-hop-conscious. Legend's gospel-trained pipes navigate both West's wry, beat-savvy productions and strikingly optimistic soul tracks that are reminiscent of Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder. Even Snoop Dogg gets lifted by Legend's contrite pimp confessions on "I Can Change."

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