Underestimated, song, artist or group '' gems'' ?


In any category of music you choose ( pop, opera, jazz, rock, folk - whatever ), I would like to find out about ''hidden gems'' - artists, groups or even songs and music that are not widely known or appreciated....you could include songwriters too.

I just feel that part of the excitement of discovering new music can also include past unknown gems that would be worth listening to....

Some of my ''underestimated'' favorites :

Many Elvis Costello tunes
Leonard Cohen's songs
Symphonic ''re-arrangements'' by Leppard in baroque music
The group ''Blue Rodeo''
The group (now extinct) Soul Attorneys - incredible, worth seeking out (Sony Music)
sonicbeauty
There are a million that would fit well into this thread and some good ones have appeared already. A few artists I like and are not widely enough recognized are Martin Sexton especially the "Black Sheep" disc and the Matraca Berg disc "The Speed Of Grace". Going back aways the Zephyr disc "Sunset Ride" I like quite a bit as well as "Spooky Two" by Spooky Tooth and the not often mentioned "This Was" the first and best record by Jethro Tull. A couple of jazz sax players that don't get mentioned enough are a baritone player Bennie Wallace and a multi sax player Michael Hashim. Hashim's disc "A Blue Streak" I really enjoy. Cheers, Lee
If I can add two more:

Tom Ovans (US singer/songwriter with great lyrics and a voice that sounds like.... well.... a combination of Dylan, Waits, and Leonard Cohen)

Martin Stephenson and the Daintees.... fantastic folky/bluesy. Really hard to categorize.
James Lee Stanley for one. He's mostly known for being married to the person that writes the Kathy Comic strip, but he has written some great songs.

There are many others; the Siegall-Schwall Band, Sumner, Blodwyn Pig, Spreadeagle, The Belltower....I could go on and on.
The Dream Academy:Remembrance Days. Vintage Gino Vannelli:Storm at Sunup or Powerful People. Charly D'inverno Trio:Following the Band. Shawn Phillips:Spaced. Uzeb:Uzeb Club or Noisy Nights. Jimi Hendrix:Hendrix in the West or Band of Gypsies. FM:Black Noise