Jones put her time in on the road in 2002. In one form or another, she gigged her way throughout the year, mostly headlining her own sold-out shows. The occasional support slots included those with John Mayer, Indigo Girls, and Dave Matthews Band.

With her smoky voice and jazz-influenced piano playing, Jones may seem like an unlikely Top 40 contender. While she may not dance in sync with her band, she’s nevertheless gained a respectable fan following – even to the point of seeing her album go to No. 1 nearly one year after its release.

Originally a New Yorker, Jones moved to Texas at a young age and studied at a performance arts school (which is also alma mater to Erykah Badu) where she won a bunch of best jazz vocalist awards.

She is also the daughter of famous Indian musician Ravi Shankar, but the two are estranged; there has been far more press than necessary on the relation.