If Burke's voice now lacks the stirring richness of his early-'60s R&B hits like "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" and "Cry to Me," his dramatic skills haven't faded a bit. Shifting gears from 2006's countrified Nashville, he turns to laid-back pop and gospel-flavored tunes about hard times and spiritual crisis, written by fans such as Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Jesse Harris. Like many great singers, King Solomon sometimes has to elevate lesser material. Still, "What Made Me Think I Was Right" stands up to his best work, meaning it's remarkably moving.

JON YOUNG Jennifer Cardini, 'Feeling Strange' (Kompakt) French mixmistress shatters minimal techno's glass ceiling. HHH

The first female artist to release a record on the famed Kompakt label, Jennifer Cardini distills those disorienting moments when you first plunge into the murk of an underground club. Dark and lurid, this 21-song DJ mix also feels strangely giddy, as Cardini moves from the purring whisper of Justine Electra to a throbbing, mid-'90s Basic Channel classic (Maurizio's "M-04") in the first 15 minutes. From there, she adjusts (and adheres) to the club's confines -- only the race-car zooms of Matthew Dear and gentle squelches of Reinhard Voigt offset the standard house fare. Come sunrise, Cardini ushers us out with Lusine's downtempo "Push" and the Thom Yorke–esque mewl of Apparat's "Arcadia."