50 Favorite Albums: 45

As good as Sam Cooke was with his original fares, I am, time and again, drawn to his covers. And that's why his album, Hits of the 50's [sic], is so great to me because it's all covers of songs from the 1950s. And he just has such a great voice, too. Frankie Avalon, Doris Day, Nat King Cole. They're all here. But the best one is also one of his more underrated covers, Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers. He absolutely kills it. Cooke was great.

Hits of the 50's: 1960 rhythm and blues album from Sam Cooke.