England

1969

Setting uplifting songs of love and modern-city life to a mid-tempo, hook-laden blend of reggae, calypso, rap, and British pop, Des'ree reached the upper echelon of British R&B. Although she failed to reach an American audience with her 1992 duet with Terence Trent D'Arby, "Delicate" (in the U.K. it was a Top Ten hit), her second album, I Ain't Movin' (1994), went platinum, led by "You Gotta Be." The inspirational song spent 80 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The singer maintained her momentum with an American tour in 1995 and performed at the first-ever secular concert at the Vatican. Her following albums -- Supernatural (1998), Endangered Species (2000), Dream Soldier (2003) -- were not nearly as successful, though she did retain a substantial following. ~ Craig Harris