I like just about anything except nihilistic rock. I remember a film called "Hype," about the Seattle grunge scene. The manager of a grunge group taught them how to play five chords, but ordered them to never play more than three in any given song.
I have two favorites these days. Melody Gardot is the best young jazz singer I've heard in years. Quite an accomplishment, given that it's a miracle she's alive at all. Four years ago, while riding her bike to college, she was struck by an SUV. The accident left her with a broken pelvis, broken legs, spinal cord damage, and short-term memory loss.
Prior to her accident, she played piano and sang a bit, but only as a hobby. Afterwards, her doctor told her to write and sing songs more, as a way of stimulating the neural pathways that control memory. She spent the year of her recovery composing and singing, and eventually pursued music full time.
Here's her web site. You can hear all of her songs, in their entirety, absolutely free of charge.
http://www.melodygardot.com
My other favorite: Six years ago, a young woman named Vienna Teng was working for Cisco Systems as a software engineer. One day, she took a deep breath, quit her job, and went into music full-time. She is, without question, the most brilliant singer-songwriter of our time.
http://viennateng.com
I'm an ex-bass trombonist, and I love jazz and classical. Film scores are another favorite: Apollo 13, October Sky, The Great Escape, 633 Squadron, The Fugitive, Saving Face, many more ...