girls of summer.

Lizz Wright On her triumphant and folksy sophomore CD, Dreaming Wide Awake (Verve/Forecast), Lizz Wright takes us to a place thick with thumb-plucked bass, harmonicas and soul. The 25-year-old chanteuse from Georgia gets her honest down-home sound from performing in her local church since childhood. Songs like "Hit the Ground" and "Old Man" are gut-bucket blues made mellow by Wright's smooth-as-smoke delivery. Listen to select tracks at lizzwright.net.

Graph Nobel A soft-spoken Canadian of Trinidadian and Venezuelan lineage, Graph Nobel (née Krista Gonzales) is what we call a hot mix between Gwen Stefani and Lauryn Hill. Despite the holdup on her debut album, Nobel stays hungry. "Until it's snatched away," she vows, "I'll keep going. I'm ready to work, ready to play." Hear a preview at blackcorners.com.

Sy Smith This is neo-chill music for the MP3 set. Imagine Janet Jackson recorded with Zapp & Roger--they might sound like Sy Smith's latest, The Syberspace Social (available on sysmith.com). This D.C. gal, who's worked with Whitney Houston and Macy Gray, has a crystal-clear voice that just cruises along with the electro-thump beats provided by producers Ali Shaheed Muhammad, James Poyser and Nicolay. So grab a spot in the grass and pop in the earbuds. You can't miss.

Alana Davis On Surrender Dorothy (Tigress), Alana Davis's gorgeous third album, the New York Greenwich Village-raised singer and guitarist pairs acoustic grooves with a husky, easy-flowing croon. Add her confessional lyrics, especially on the stirring relationship-pondering tracks "Letter" and "Wide Open," and you have the perfect lazy-afternoon CD.

Danielia Cotton "Rock 'n' roll is about telling a story, one that's heartbreaking and goes deep," says Danielia Cotton, who indeed bares personal pain in her soul-rock music. On her self-titled EP (HipShake) she sings with raw intensity, ranging from beautifully tender to howling, not even caring if her powerful voice cracks. Matched with lush instrumentals, including her own driving guitar work, this Jersey Girl who names Led Zeppelin and Tina Turner as influences confirms that rock is Black music too. Check out her songs on danielia.com or cdbaby.com.