After Dinner Speakers: Macy Gray, Jackie Stewart, Richard Noble

b. Natalie McIntyre, 9 September 1970, Canton, Ohio, USA. Downplaying the hype surrounding her as the saviour of soul music, Gray often repeated the story about how she was afraid to speak as a child because other kids would tease her about her voice. That voice, an amazing hybrid of Billie Holiday and Tina Turner refreshingly free from the modern clichés of the R&B diva and the rap gangstress, entranced critics and music fans alike when her debut album was released in autumn 1999. Gray, who received several years formal piano training, was raised on a classic soul diet of Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, but was also drawn to hip-hop in the early 80s. She later moved to Los Angeles to enrol in a screen-writing programme at the USC Film School. Here she was cajoled into singing on demo sessions, and began creating a stir at live appearances fronting a covers band. She set up her own after hours club, the We Ours, in Hollywood, where an open microphone policy allowed her to demo her own material in front of friends. Gray signed to Epic Records in April 1998, and set about recording an album with producer Andrew Slater. The cast of musicians included her songwriting partners Darryl Swann and Jeremy Ruzumna, Arik Marshall (guitar, ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers), and the highly experienced session musicians Blackbird McKnight (guitar, ex-Funkadelic) and Lenny Castro (percussion, ex-Tower Of Power). On How Life Is proved to be a melodic fusion of classic soul, urban R&B and hip-hop beats rounded off by Gray's earthy rasp. Stand-out tracks included the excellent singles "Do Something" and "I Try", and the dramatic "Sex-o-matic Venus Freak" and "Caligula". The album was particularly well received in the UK; glowing reviews and word-of-mouth approval helping it climb steadily up the charts (eventually reaching number 6 in October). "I Try" also stayed in the lower reaches of the Top 10 for several weeks. The track finally broke Gray in the US the following year, climbing into the Top 5 in May. Gray returned to the studio to record The ID with Rick Rubin. Her incredible voice sets her apart from many of her contemporaries.