N’DAMBI, PINK ELEPHANT – Perhaps best-known as Erykah Badu’s background singer with the glorious reddish-brown Afro, this Dallas native has been releasing challenging solo albums as an indie artist for a decade. Pink Elephant is her debut for the revamped Stax label, and it’s her most accomplished work to date. With sympathetic production overseen by the great Leon Sylvers, N’Dambi infuses progressive R&B with a tangy blues sensibility and a fierceness that recalls vintage Chaka Khan.

MESHELL N’DEGEOCELLO, DEVIL’S HALO -

The ever-restless singer-musician was one of the early purveyors of the neo-soul movement of the mid ‘90s. Her albums over the years have brazenly blurred musical edges. Some have been better than others. But on Devil’s Halo, Meshell’s amalgamation of modern rock, jazz, R&B and pop is much more fluid. The songs are tighter and the music freer as the artist unblinkingly addresses matters of the heart and soul.

CHICO DEBARGE, ADDICTION – Coming from a family musical dynasty rich with unforgettable melodies and high-flying harmonies, Chico has managed to establish his own identity. On Addiction, he shapes recent trials and tribulations into moody, jazz-kissed soul evocative of mid ‘70s-era Marvin Gaye. It is, hands down, the best album he’s done and one of the few grown-man urban releases to come out in 2009.

RANDY CRAWFORD & JOE SAMPLE, NO REGRETS – Although this album has been categorized as a jazz effort (in fact, the CD is up for best jazz vocals at next year’s Grammys), No Regrets is actually a thoughtful, stripped down R&B effort with pronounced jazz and blues overtones. It’s the follow-up to the duo’s sublime 2007 album, Feelin’ Good. Surrounded by Sample’s melodic, airy arrangements, Randy, whose voice is as pristine as it was in 1976, floats and soars. A gorgeous set.

TEENA MARIE, CONGO SQUARE – Teena is known in some circles as the Ivory Queen of Soul, a moniker she rightfully deserves. In her 30-year recording career, she hasn’t made any bad albums. Since 2004’s gold seller, La Dona, she has released two more strong efforts, including 2009’s Congo Square. Still in strong voice, Teena melds modern production techniques with her rich, Motown-informed production style, and the results are sleek and smart without any whiffs of pandering.

CHRISETTE MICHELE, EPIPHANY – One of the better vocalists to emerge in the last three years or so, this native New Yorker released her sophomore CD late spring, and it delivered on the promise of her gold-selling debut. Most of the album was written and produced by the ubiquitous Ne-Yo, but he gave her some of the most thoughtful songs he has written. And Chrisette warmly wraps her expressive voice around the ingratiating melodies.

Grammy nominated recording artist Ledisi sings ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ during a dedication ceremony at the Martin Luther King Memorial on the National Mall October 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

PLATINUM PIED PIPERS, ABUNDANCE – This duo oversees a talented cast of singers and musicians that link ‘60s soul with futuristic touches that easily rival the latest work of Timbaland. It’s an album accessible enough for radio yet substantive enough for sophisticated fans of urban-pop.

GEORGIA ANN MULDROW, UMSINDO – This celebrated underground soul artist made an impressive turn on Erykah Badu’s last album, 2007’s New Amerykah. On this release, she spotlights her stunning production techniques, which weave experimental jazz with progressive shades of soul and hip-hop. On Umsido, tribal African rhythms underscore hard break beats and synthesized instrumentation, and it’s all overlaid with Muldrow’s swooping vocals and left-field lyrics.

RYAN LESLIE, SELF-TITLED – With a groove-rich, synthesizer-driven sound shimmering with glints of Zapp and Yarborough and Peoples, Ryan released one of the brightest urban-pop albums of 2009. Although lyrically clumsy at times, the imaginatively layered arrangements and the singer’s charming, if limited, vocals still buoy the set. Each listen reveals something fresh and colorful.