Melissa Etheridge

With a rich, warm and full voice and dedication to self-empowerment, her output and influence were already impressive. But in the past four years, Melissa Etheridge has become something else altogether, a dedicated fighter whose weapon of choice is socially conscious yet uplifting guitar-rock anthems. From love songs to highly personal screeds against cancer, global warming, poverty, child abuse and more, the multiplatinum Grammy winner has transformed into a classic protest singer in the timeless mold of Springsteen, Dylan, Neil Young or even Woody Guthrie, all while operating in an industry that (barely) profits on superficial trends, no less. Impressive before, at ten albums in she's damn near legendary.