Various artists: Shout, Sister, Shout! A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe

In her time a bigger gospel star than even Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was possessed of a terrific voice and, most significant, a bluesified guitar style that helped her become the first major crossover from African-American church music to secular songs. A clear influence on the Chicago electric blues of the 1950s, she’s also sometimes cited as one of the earliest to incorporate a rock ‘n’ roll riff into her ax work—15 full years before Chuck Berry. Not too shabby. The tribute Shout, Sister, Shout! lets loose some of the current era’s most prominent female singers on the Rosetta songbook, resulting in a near-flawless blend of faithfulness and reinterpretation. High points include a superb version of “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” by Joan Osborne and Odetta’s slightly loopy take on the spiritual “Two Little Fishes and Five Loaves of Bread.” During Rosetta’s life, her gospel-blues blend infuriated her core audience and nearly wrecked her career—60 years later, her granddaughters have no problem singing out simultaneously to both heaven and earth.