Top producer/songwriter Billy Mann spotlights artists on the verge of stardom.

Billy with Emily Saliers and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls.
Billy worked with the Grammy Award-winning Indigo Girls last summer.

Oh, New Orleans, why you? Our Cajun heart, the coolest part of us Americans, and one of the hidden music centers on this continent. For those of you who haven’t been to New Orleans, it’s a rich and awesome mecca of music and spirituality. Last month we sent prayers to Londoners after their terrorist attacks, and since such an awful natural disaster has now happened to us, let’s send them out again to those who struggle. We need to realize how lucky we are to be alive and find whatever peace we can inside our headphones.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Beyond their catchy name and whacked-out toy pianos, I applaud these indie rockers for the pure nature of their art. “Is This Love?” is the perfect song for when you’re frantically running around trying to get ready for a night out or a family dinner from hell and need to take that frenzied edge off.
band info: clapyourhandssayyeah.com

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty Records): Somewhere between Beck and Simon and Garfunkel, there’s a young Michigan prophet named Sufjan with a guitar and banjo over each shoulder. Listen to his mental symphony “Chicago” the night after a big change in your life - be it from love or pain - to further your evolution.
artist info: sufjan.com

The Subways - Young for Eternity (Infectious Records): I am a sucker for any gender gap-bridging band where, after the guy singer rocks out, a raw female voice shoots through. Charlotte Cooper is the courageous star on “I Want to Hear What You Have to Say.” With her crazy vocals, she shatters the silly stereotype that girls can’t rock.
band info: thesubways.net

Classic!
Indigo Girls: “Closer To Fine”
from their 1989 album, Indigo girls
Through their soothing harmonies, the duo poses the theory that we need to sit, take a breath, and accept the fact that things tend to fall out of line every once in a while.