World Cafe

Described as shy and unassuming offstage, Anna Calvi demands attention when she has a guitar in her hands. She has the tendency to look her audience directly in the eyes when she performs. It's this tiptoeing of the line between seductive and unsettling that has helped her gain a dedicated following with the release of her 2011 Mercury Prize-nominated debut.

Marques Toliver, a classically-trained violinist, builds on his Suzuki method foundation to craft songs that effortlessly blend R&B and gospel.

Grammy-nominated roots musician David Bromberg started his career as a session guitarist in the 1960s for the likes of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker. He ventured out on his own to record a debut album in 1971, and has since created a unique style of blues that prominently features brass accompaniment, known as "hillbilly jazz."

Although Dawes' members have only been together since 2009, the L.A. band's romantic roots rock sounds like the product of an entirely different era.

In the alternative rock explosion of the 1990s, The Afghan Whigs gained a cult following for a unique approach that infused grunge and post-punk with a gritty, soul-bearing sensibility inspired by blues and R&B. When the Afghan Whigs split in 2001, lead singer and songwriter Greg Dulli's other band, The Twilight Singers, moved from a side project to a full-time commitment.