Beth Gibbons first gained renown as the voice of Portishead. The trio's acclaimed version of trip-hop drew on the vocal jazz and pop of the past while reinventing it radically, and Gibbons' vocals -- which recalled bygone greats such as Nina Simone and Edith Piaf -- were a perfect fit for the group's postmodern mystique.
As a solo artist, Gibbons uses her elegant-yet-gritty contralto in a wide array of settings.
