Brian McKnight

So many of our greatest soul singers — Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles, for example — came from a gospel upbringing. Add to that list Brian McKnight, whose church choir childhood adds genuine heartfelt passion to his biggest tunes, like "One Last Cry" and his epic duet with Mariah Carey, "Whenever You Call."

If we at iTunes could sing love songs (and, no, we can't), we'd want to sing 'em like Brian McKnight. Fact is, few of today's neo-soul artists can put as much love and romance into each and every track. His scorching vocal performances on songs like "Every Time You Go Away" and "Still in Love" make the ladies weak in the knees and turn the men into jealous admirers.

You can tell a person by the company he or she keeps, and Brian McKnight keeps some pretty talented company. We've mentioned Mariah already, but McKnight has also worked with the likes of Vanessa Williams, Kenny G, Quincy Jones, Mase, and Juvenile — proof that he's not only a great singer, but also a highly sought-after partner.

Brian McKnight is what you'd call a "class act," from his gospel roots all the way up to his chart-topping smashes with today's biggest stars. Like his heroes Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, McKnight is also a soul throwback — an old-school triple threat who can do it all: play, write, and sing, not to mention pull it off onstage . . . which, after all is said and done, is the biggest single measure of talent there is.