Booker T. Jones led one of soul music's greatest bands, splashing Hammond organ over airtight grooves from the MGs. His recent solo work feels less focused. Here, backed by the Roots, he meanders through instrumental versions of R&B cuts like Gnarls Barkey's "Crazy." But he gets help from guests like Lou Reed and Jim James, who wails on "Progress." And in a rare move, Jones sings "Down in Memphis" in an endearing baritone that makes you wonder why he's stayed quiet all these years.

Listen to Booker T. Jones' "Everything is Everything":  
Related: The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Booker T. & the MGs

“Satisfied”

Only the genius of Tom Waits could combine the subject of mortality, a reoccurring theme in his work, with wordplay that name checks both Mick and Keith, whom he calls "Mr. Jagger" and "Mr. Richards," and the title of their magnum opus, "Satisfaction." And to show just how cool Waits really is, he even got Mr. Richards to play along, one of nine guest appearances the guitarist has made on three Waits albums. "This growling roadhouse stomp is a late-breaking response to the Stones' greatest hit," Rolling Stone said of the track.