India.Arie & Akon

India.Arie is among a small class of post-millennial R&B artists more likely to cite and recall the likes of Bill Withers and Roberta Flack than almost any given artist playlisted by urban contemporary radio stations. Arie entered with Acoustic Soul (2001), an album that carried on the tradition of introspective, additive-resistant singer/songwriter soul. It was a Top Ten, multi-platinum success, and led to nominations in seven Grammy categories. Four subsequent LPs, including the Grammy-winning Voyage to India and the number one Testimony, Vol. 1: Life & Relationship, all hit...