Everyone knows Adele and Katy Perry crushed the music game this year, with some help from Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga and big names like Jay-Z, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa. Oh, and there were all those "Now That's What I Call Glee" albums. Even your mom knows that, and she only listens to Michael Bublé. (Not hatin', just sayin'.) But what about those underrated musicians who quietly put out albums so good that we practically fell to our knees and turned us into freaking EVANGELISTS? Why did some of our favorite artists and albums get slept on, if we're talking charts and streams and sales and all of those pieces of mainstream music's equation? We were all over these artists. You were too, and so was the internet. So why weren't these artists bigger? We honestly have no idea. (I don't know whether to shake you or just SMDH.) So in honor of those talents and treasures, we here at Buzzworthy gathered up some of our favorite most overlooked artists of 2011. Fortunately there are still two weeks left in the year so you familiarize yourself with these hidden gems so you can at least be civil and lie when someone asks if you were into Anna Calvi or Nicola Roberts this year. You're welcome.

Active Child: Pat Grossi's Active Child project showcases his classical vocal training. He performed in the Philadelphia Boys Choir, and that's evident in his spine-tingly, soulful falsetto that serves as the backbone for his ethereal You Are All I See full-length debut album. And while his lyrics reveal more with earthly yearnings, his voice points to the skies. Coupled with harp melodies, stuttery rhythms and electronic blips and bleeps -- "Diamond Heart" is a perfect example -- the luscious soundscape buoys straight heavenward. -- Althea Legaspi

Allen Stone: You have to wonder after hearing Allen Stone's 24-year-old voice what exactly it was about growing up in the backwoods of Washington that made him so damn emotional. His self-titled sophomore album dropped (and instantly charted) in October, and his direct and confessional lyrics -- listen to "Sleep" THIS SECOND -- combined with his traditional '70s soul sound (influenced by a childhood listening to Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin) makes us think he was born 40 years too late (and should have been signed to Stax). On second thought, that's our generation's gain. No offense, Justin Timberlake, but if you don't get on that music thing fast, you're gonna wake up one morning and find yourself replaced, I sweartahGOD. -- Nicole James

Anna Calvi: OH MY GOD, America. You are making me SO sad right now! England gets it. Why don't you? Seriously, WHAT is wrong with EVERY SINGLE PERSON who hasn't yet listened to Anna Calvi? And if you did listen, particularly to "Suzanne And I" or "Blackout" but don't yet worship at her altar, what is DOUBLY wrong with you? OK, setting aside histrionics for superlatives, Anna Calvi's eponymous debut was easily one of the most fascinating releases of 2011. It landed her on the short list for a Barclaycard Mercury Prize Album of the Year award (which went to PJ Harvey, but STILL). She sounds like Lykke Li and Jenny Toomey on six pots of coffee and packs more theatrics than three Lady Gaga shows combined. But in a good way. She just released a cover of TV On The Radio's "Wolf Like Me," so go listen. I'm holding you personally accountable if you don't.  -- Tamar Anitai

ARMS: Our favorite rockers named for an appendage have risen from the ashes of past indie greats Harlem Shakes (miss you) with Summer Skills, their long-awaited follow-up to 2009's Kids Aflame. It's a catchy, high-energy album about doomed romance and a miserable summer -- we wish we'd had it back in our mega-awkward sleepaway camp days. Just try not to get lost in "Heat And Hot Water," which they generously gave away for free! If life were fair, they'd be as popular as Death Cab For Cutie or Vampire Weekend, so catch 'em now before their tickets cost more than your phone bill. -- David Greenwald

Check out more of Buzzworthy's Most Criminally Overlooked Artists of 2011 after the jump!

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Tags Active Child, Allen Stone, Anna Calvi, ARMS, Austra, Best Of 2011, Big Troubles, Darren Hayes, EMA, Gold Panda, Icona Pop, Jessie And The Toy Boys, Melanie Fiona, Minks, Nicola Roberts, North Highlands, Sunday Girl, Tennis, The Head And The Heart, The Sound of Arrows, Tiffany Page, Wynter Gordon