Lianne La Havas

Lianne La Havas (née Barnes) is an R&B artist who might be considered one of the precursors of the current batch of pop singers that present a particularly sultry hybrid between R&B and jazz such as Arlo Parks and Ego Ella May. She distinguished herself quickly in the early '10s with her deftness on the guitar and her powerful, raspy voice acclaimed as one of the finest of her generation. She sings in a gentle and soulful way that keeps her often at the brink of jazz, and to a lesser extent, pop and soul. Her music taps into the same reservoir that Sade did back in the '80s, though perhaps not as smooth, cool, or polished (which would be a fairly high bar to clear anyway). Her self-titled 2020 album sees her tack a little closer to soul and even pick up a few hip-hop adjacent beats along the way.