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Alicia Keys is a virtuoso piano player . . . I'm going to leave my personal feelings at just that. Her new song though? Doesn't do anything for me. At all.
Anyway.
In terms of actual vocal talent, there are millions of great singers around, but not many convert to great performers.
If you're talking about talented songwriters, Ted Leo comes to mind, as well as Conor Oberst (from Bright Eyes). The best pop songwriting out right now, in my opinion, comes from The New Pornographers, and not just because Neko Case has probably the best pop pipes available . . . the writing is top tier.
The new Outkast album breaks down a lot of walls with regard to 'what IS hip hop,' and Talib Kweli did something top tier with Quality. I know I'm on record as an Anticon apologist, but as a collective they top anything around (excepting maybe Def Jux, depending on what you like), check out Seven's Travels by Atmosphere for a good, accessible introduction to 'nerd-rap'.
Rob Swift's The Ablist is a masterpiece of turn table/ambient work, and Zero7's Simple Things is a more laid-back take on ambience. Both are very complete as CDs, and each track is emphasized by those around it . . . this sort of composition is a talent in and of itself.
I guess it depends on what you consider to be the definition of 'talented' . . . here's some suggestions though, and if you want I can go more in depth depending on what you like.
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Hybrid Mode
