Most famous for his lead role in UK pop group Take That, Gary Barlow had already been performing his own songs for years when he was recruited into the band as a teenager in 1989. Born in Frodsham, England in 1971, Barlow quickly ensured the act’s superstardom, thanks to his fresh-faced singing and soulful songwriting (see 1993’s chart-topping “Pray”). When the group’s first incarnation ended, Barlow made his solo debut with 1997’s Open Road, letting his nimble voice soar and linger all on its own. Even after Take That reconvened for several more albums, he continued to explore different sides of his solo career, including a team-up with former bandmate Robbie Williams on 2010’s “Shame.” Barlow reinvented himself yet again on his 2020 album Music Played by Humans, a joyous valentine to big-band and swing arrangements that flexes his lifelong songwriting chops rather than relying on the expected standards.