Break of Dawn

An exceptionally talented Oakland songstress, Goapele hit the scene in 2001 with her self-released debut album, <i>Closer</i>. The title track/lead single was a huge hit in the Bay and attracted the attention of several major labels, leading to her follow-up LP, <i>Even Closer</i>, a year later. She flexes a unique vocal style that incorporates jazz, soul, trip-hop, and R&B, while her lyrics touch on important social and political issues with themes that venture far outside the usual territory of strictly love jams and breakup ballads. (She's been active in community and human-rights groups since childhood.) <i>Break of Dawn</i> is her fourth album, which finds her working with producers like Kanye West, Drumma Boy, Bedrock, and Malay, who provide lush backdrops for her one-of-a-kind vocals. Though it's fairly brief at just nine tracks, the album shows some of her best work to date, with highly memorable songs like "Tears on My Pillow", "Money", "Hush", and the previously released single "Milk & Honey".