Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap is the epitome of the versatile, restlessly creative 21st-century singer-songwriter — rooted in multi-layered digital sound, her solo career has, so far, bookended work as a duo with Guy Sigsworth (under the moniker Frou Frou), and has also taken in guest vocals for legendary axeman Jeff Beck ("Rollin' and Tumblin'"), as well as a collaboration with hip-hop outfit Urban Species ("Blanket"). Other highlights here include the gorgeous vocoder-dipped a cappella track "Hide and Seek" — featured on The O.C. — and Frou Frou's "Let Go", which boosted Heap's profile following its inclusion on the Garden State soundtrack in 2004. Follow Heap to the ends of the earth, where she recorded parts of Ellipse, in Next Steps.

With third album, 2009's Ellipse, we got to experience the full range and depth of Heap's solo talents: it really is a stunning piece of work, recorded in a variety of global locations (including the U.K., Thailand, and China), drawing on found sound as well as her own musicianship — the gently propulsive "Tidal" pulls in an Indian flautist, while "Little Bird" (instrumental version included here) incorporates the call of the jayhawk. "Mic Check" showcases her fondness for manipulating the pure human voice in a digital arena, while "The Walk" from 2005's Speak for Yourself reveals a well of emotional substance beneath all her digi-wizardry.

Both as a solo artist and one-half of Frou Frou, Imogen Heap has earned her reputation as a Kate Bush for the modern digital era, not just for her skill in crafting songs and sculpting sounds, but also for her internet marketing savvy — dubbed the U.K.'s "most digitally prolific personality", Heap has made a huge impression on MySpace and YouTube (and has a million-plus Twitter followers), in addition to which she has cropped up on clunky old traditional (but essential) media like TV and movies: her vocally inventive cover of Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" appeared on the soundtrack to Shrek 2, and "Not Now But Soon" was heard on Heroes before being made available as a single here on iTunes. At the heart of it all there's a huge talent . . . and we've distilled her best tunes into this eclectic Heap overview.