Jeff Bridges isn't only a singer onscreen; see his 2000 indie LP, Be Here Soon, featuring "Movin'," a charming (if awkward) reggae jam, and his soulful honky-tonk contributions to the Crazy Heart soundtrack. Sure, this album gains depth from his film history - these laid-back country-rock songs suggest a cleaned-up Bad Blake, or a Dude with ambitions beyond the bowling lanes. But with T Bone Burnett's production and vocal assists from Rosanne Cash and Sam Phillips, Bridges' leathery voice makes this music sound lived-in. The Everly Brothers-style "What a Little Bit of Love Can Do" is the highlight, a pep-talk-turned-come-on from an earthy singer as affable as his film characters.

Listen to "What a Little Bit of Love Can Do":

Related:
• The 10 Greatest Roles of Jeff Bridges

“He Will Break Your Heart”

A lightly swinging Latin-influenced, almost cha-cha groove and close harmonies decorated Jerry Butler's early soul hit "He Will Break Your Heart," delivering a stately warning that his rival would never love his girl like he did. The melody came to Butler as he was driving on the highway from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Philadelphia with Curtis Mayfield, and as Butler told Rolling Stone, "I just sang the melody and Curtis put the chords to it." The song's premise, Butler added, "was something that I'd lived ...The lyric was an experience rather than a revelation. Whereas music is usually a revelation."