Shining Through the Rain shows that sixty-two-year-old Percy Sledge can still locate the emotional essence of a song, as he did so unforgettably on "When a Man Loves a Woman," his 1966 debut single. Producers Saul Davis and Barry Goldberg designed the album to mimic the soulful, laid-back vibe of Norala Studios in Sheffield, Alabama, where the 2005 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee cut most of his early sides, and he sounds right at home. Along the way, Sledge — whose husky tenor retains the character of a muted trumpet — puts his claim on Steve Earle's hillbilly lament "My Old Friend the Blues," the unreleased Bee Gees ballad "A Lonely Violin" and Gregg Sutton and John Herron's perfect Stax/Volt knockoff "24-7-365." Throughout this easy-grooving record, Sledge seems to expend no more energy than it takes to keep a porch swing rocking.

“Tonight's the Night”

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."