Robbie Robertson
Lightning does strike twice. Robbie Robertson's breathtaking 1987 solo debut was every bit as remarkable as another debut he'd masterminded two decades before, The Band'sMusic from Big Pink. Even more impressive was the fact that Robertson's new sound owed so little, other than a shared vision, to the sonic Americana he'd created with The Band. Robertson cashed in The Band's rustic tones in for a lush, beat-box womb created by coproducer Daniel Lanois. His own weird, almost spectral voice, also turned out to be the right vehicle for the words he'd been handing to others for so long. Bono, The BoDeans, and Peter Gabriel join in on keepers like "Fallen Angel" and "Broken Arrow." --Michael Ruby