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As the legend goes, Bach's Goldberg Variations were written for an insomniac diplomat patron who desired music to help cheer him on lonely, sleepless nights. But the real legend is how Bach was able to produce, for an apparently throwaway occasion, one of the crowning masterpieces not only of the Baroque, but of all Western music.

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:Mstislav Rostropovich

Songs From The West Coast rests on the strong foundation of piano driven melodies, Elton's smooth vocals and Taupin's romantic lyrics.

Lenny Kravitz is known for proudly wearing his influences on his sleeve, but on his sixth album it's clear Kravitz has at last honed a sound he can call his own. Mixing hard rock and ballads, Lenny kicks in with the blistering "Battlefield of Love," a solid rocker with a funk groove.

Manu Chao incorporates the Spanish, English and French languages into fun, infectious songs that are bound to catch your ear.

Despite songbird Mariah Carey's emotional troubles during the release of the soundtrack to Glitter, she has never sounded giddier.

It's often a long-term disadvantage, especially for dance acts, when a debut single enters the chart at No. 1. Rather than hurrying the release of their self-titled debut, Modjo, and cashing in with an album full of "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" clones, the duo have instead opted to experiment with more diverse musical styles.

The best soundtracks are like movies for the ears, and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" joins the likes of "Saturday Night Fever" and "The Harder They Come" as cinematic pinnacles of song. The music from the Coen brothers' Depression-era film taps into the source from which the purest strains of country, blues, bluegrass, folk, and gospel music flow.

During the dark days of the singer's split from Julie Cypher, her companion of 12 years, Melissa Etheridge retreated to her home studio to pen songs lit from within with her searing pain and confusion. From those heart-wrenching sessions comes arguably Etheridge's finest work. She vents and rages and all but spits on her Tony Llama boots, giving these 10 songs a depth and grit that she only hinted at in her prior six albums.

Call them the Nine Inch Nails of punk. Like NIN, the Offspring preserve the essential ingredients of their chosen genre - guitars grinding out three chords, shouted vocals, and plenty of vitriol - and layer them over a melodic base that packs considerable popular appeal.