Perhaps best known as the Lilith Fair’s founder, Sarah McLachlan is alternately a singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, tour ingenue and chanteuse who’s been recording since 1988. Her work includes daring dance remixes of soulful ballads as well as covers of songs by XTC and Tom Waits (”Dear God” and “Ol’ 55″). When McLachlan joined the 1990s burgeoning Adult Alternative scene she sat at the front of a class that included Alanis Morissette and Paula Cole. Almost a decade after her first release, she found mainstream success with singles such as “I Will Remember You” and “Building a Mystery.” McLachlan’s throaty, soaring vocals have inspired a million gloomy shower-singers and even more lonely late night drives. Hers is powerful, emotional music that’s truly “better than ice cream.”
- Molly Ditmore

Spandex, flowing locks, booze, groupies — Bon Jovi are pop metal. Led by furry-chested heartthrob Jon Bon Jovi, these Jersey boys became experts at the power ballad. At the height of their popularity, one could hear a rising chorus of housewives and their young sons all across the country singing along to the band’s infectious, tuneful metal. As for their live shows, well, they’ve seen a million faces and they’ve rocked ‘em all.
- Chad Driscoll

Avril Lavigne first appeared as a spunky teenager crafting surprisingly sharp alternative pop-rock that sounded great on the radio and fit very well in your CaseLogic (right between that Alanis Morissette stuff you’d gotten a little sick of and the Fiona Apple album you held so dear). She was one of many tender-aged smart-popsters who came up in the early 2000s, a group that included Michelle Branch, Norah Jones and Vanessa Carlton. She first hit with the acousti-groove of “Complicated,” but it was the charging alt-rock of second single “Sk8er Boi” that showcased the range of Lavigne’s impressive talents. She released her second album, Under My Skin, in 2004, expanding upon her catalogue of sharp, smart radio tunes and leaving the teenager thing behind. After marrying Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley in 2006 in a storybook wedding wherein Lavigne shocked Hot Topic shoppers and sk8er kids everywhere by rocking the big, white dress, she released her third album, a collection of more mature ballads and some of her poppiest material yet called The Best Damn Thing, in 2007.
- Mike McGuirk

Lifehouse began in 1996 as Blyss, a teenage garage trio haunting their high school’s Friday night jam sessions. Seattle transplant Jason Wade, his new L.A. neighbor Sergio Andrade, and latecomer drummer Rick Woolstenhulme honed their post-grunge sound for two years before garnering a deal with DreamWorks and changing their name to Lifehouse. Though the stringed “Breathe” won them that deal and resulted in debut LP No Name Face, “Hanging by a Moment” had more impact, hitting number one on Billboard’s Modern Rock charts. The debut went double-platinum, and the obscure Southern California group was suddenly touring internationally with Pearl Jam, Everclear and Matchbox 20. They polished their sound and become more radio-friendly on their sophomore release, Stanley Climbfall, and in 2005 brought Canadian bassist Bryce Soderberg into the fold for their third (self-titled) LP. By album three, the band had solidified their trademark sound, bringing Wade’s earnest grunge vocals and songwriting chops to the fore.
- Amy Bartlett