Liz McComb

A resident of Paris, the Cleveland-born gospel singer has been a hit on the continent for 20 years, probably because she borrows heavily from blues and roots music — such as the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Holmes Brothers — rather than working the slicker contemporary gospel sound that’s popular stateside. Not exactly a purist, McComb shakes up well-known standards and live her voice can carry her audience from placid to ecstatic in the space of a single phrase.