Compared to some of his fellow R&B giants, Solomon Burke doesn't bring depth of feeling to his music so much as an extraordinary ability to sell a song — remember, this is the same guy who used to sell bologna sandwiches to his bandmates on long bus rides. Wherever it comes from, his music is electrifying, one part testament, one part lament. Since his 2001 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he's released three albums that stand among his best, even though his voice isn't as supple as it once was. On Nashville, Burke returns to his early musical days: His first pop hit, back in 1961, was a country ballad, "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)." Burke is joined here by a top-notch band; the highlight is "Ain't Got You," an extra-boastful Bruce Springsteen cover featuring E Street bassist Garry Tallent (who didn't even play on the original!). Luminaries such as Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and Dolly Parton also make appearances — but it's always clear who's sitting on the throne.

“Is It True”

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."