Sufjan Stevens

Seemingly every year since 1963, a singer-songwriter is heralded as "the next Dylan." It's a tough title to live up to, but since his 2000 debut, singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens has certainly travelled the musical highways of Dylan's Old Weird America. The Michigan-born Stevens plays a style of folk music that captures the full scope of Americana sounds, not just those based on traditional forms. Stevens is an intriguing figure: his 50 States project (an attempt to record an album for each state in the nation) includes 2003's GREETINGS FROM MICHIGAN and 2005's lauded COME ON FEEL THE ILLINOISE.

• rock