HOT TRACKS LISA ROBINSON

Consider the source: After you've seen Cadillac Records, the entertaining, wellintentioned history of Chess Records, go back and listen to the original recordings of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, and Little Walter—or check them out on YouTube. The highly esteemed producer/ drummer Steve Jordan did an admirable job with the movie's music, Eamonn Walker is fantastic as Wolf, ditto Beyonce Knowles as James, and Jeffrey Wright is extraordinary as Waters. But for the best footage of the real Muddy Waters ever captured on film? See Martin Scorsese's 1978 concert movie. The Last Waltz.

The real Etta James shows up on the soundtrack CD for Dark Streets, a forgettable movie but terrific album with contributions from Chaka Khan, Marc Broussard, Solomon Burke, and Dr. John (whose own CD City That Care Forgot has guest stars Eric Clapton, Terence Blanchard, Willie Nelson, and Ani DiFranco). Sadly missing from the Dark Streets soundtrack CD is Bijou Phillips, whose singing in the movie evokes her mother, Genevieve Waite, the 70s cabaret sensation (and third wife of "Papa" John Phillips) whose glorious cult album, Romance Is on the Rise, can still be found as an import or downloaded online. The music of New Orleans is also featured in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with offerings from Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, Irma Thomas, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.The Guitar, directed by Amy Redford and written by Amos Poe, features a score by composermusician David Mansfield—who was in the hard-to-find Renaldo and Clara, the 1978 movie about Bob Dylan's 1975-76 Rolling Thunder Revue tour; also in The Guitar is a fabulous cover of David Bowie's "John, I'm Only Dancing" by the Everyothers. Bowie's "Queen Bitch" shows up in Milk, as does Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)"—and "Rock the Boat" by the Hues Corporation. Bollywood meets hip-hop with a collaboration from A. R. Rahman and M.I.A. in Slumdog Millionaire. The true-to-life Notorious, about slain rapper Notorious B.I.G.— born Christopher Wallace—has a soundtrack featuring Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Puff Daddy, Lil' Kim, a Duran Duran sample, and the exceptional Kanye West-produced track "Brooklyn Go Hard" from Jay-Z and Santogold.

The gorgeous score for Synecdoche, New York was composed and produced by the inimitable Jon Brion—whose instrumental pieces on the soundtrack CD feature such Brion-esque titles as "Tacky Entrance Music" and "Sex Based Decision Making." Along with Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine," and the 80s hair-band music in the Mickey Rourke tour de force The Wrestler is the title songwritten and performed by Bruce Springsteen—heard over the credits at the end of the film. Other end-credit standouts: Raphael Saadiq's "Keep Marchin'" in The Secret Life of Bees,the Fugs' "C.I.A. Man" in Burn After Reading, the Chet Baker-like whisperings of Clint Eastwood before Jamie Cullum takes over the title song in Gran Torino, and— mercifully—at the end of Tropic Thunder,Tom Cruise's highly amusing dance number to the accompaniment of Ludacris's "Get Back."

ome of the best music can be heard on television. Part of Nino Rota's score from Fellini's 8½ spices up HBO's documentary Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven. Rock bands who break out from teen TV shows have been well documented, but often the most interesting tracks are heard on crime shows such as CSI; CSI: Miami; CSI: NY; Without a Trace; Criminal Minds; and Cold Case. Among musicians heard on these shows: the Kinks, Oasis, Nelly, LL Cool J, Ryan Adams, Burning Brides, Akon, AphexTwin, Primal Scream, and hundreds of others. Both CSI and Without a Trace have used the beautiful song "Mad World," written by Tears for Fears' Roland Orzabal, sung by Gary Jules, and used in the Donnie Darko soundtrack. And Cold Case, especially, has musical themes in the show: recent tributes have included the songs of Motown and Frank Sinatra.

When you've loved and lost the way Frank has, then you know what life's about.