Solomon Burke, Don't Give Up On Me (Fat Possum Records)

MONUMENTAL is the word, both for the man and his music. At 62, Solomon Burke has a big voice that can move from an underground rumble to soaring gospel. Listening to this music is like discovering a forgotten soul classic, and this timelessness fits for these songs could have been cut almost any time in the last 30 years. Burke places his return on the shoulders of some great songwriters, with two songs from Van Morrison (Fast Train and Only A Dream), alongside contributions from Brian Wilson (Soul Searchin'), Bob Dylan (Stepchild) and Elvis Costello (the stark and operatic The Judgement). All of these work wonderfully, and yet the song best suited to Solomon, the one that seems to trace the outline of his life, is Nick Lowe's The Other Side Of The Coin. Here, as so often before, Lowe captures so much with such deceptively simple words. The high point in a stunning piece of work.