  Our knowledge of the high-energy emission spectra from black-hole candidates
has increased enormously with missions like BeppoSAX and RossiXTE, thanks to
their broad-band window. I present the main and most solid points of this
current knowledge, both in terms of detailed spectral modeling of X-ray
broad-band spectra, and more generally in relation to the "black-hole state
paradigm", which links spectral and timing properties of accretion disks.
Finally, through the discussion of recent results on two systems, XTE J1650-500
and GX 339-4, I present evidence for a new view of the state paradigm.
