The Real Life, read by Joanne Woodward, from John Mellencamp's On the Rural Route 7609 (Universal)
From the fabulous new Mellencamp retrospective, a poetic reading of his lyrics about a middle-aged woman defiantly reclaiming her life takes on a decidedly Tennessee Williams tone. Ain't that America.
The Spirit of Radio by Selina Martin, from Disaster Fantasies (independent)
There's nothing ironic about the Toronto artist's contemplative version of the wry Rush classic about honesty, compromises and the invisible airwaves that crackle with life. Beautiful, but with a playful boogie-woogie ending to keep things light.
I Still Belong to Jesus by Robert Randolph and the Family Band, from We Walk This Road (Warner)
On a breezy soulful number, gospel pedal-steel guitarist Randolph worships in the church of Fleetwood Mac.