Inspired by Albumism, I’m doing my own version of Flying Solo with individual tracks. Band breakups and hiatuses are never fun, but these solo jams were defining moments in my life’s soundtrack.

Dating back to the Simon & Garfunkel years, Paul Simon was often viewed as the driving force and persona in that duo. But if Graceland taught us anything, it’s that Simon was born to collaborate and not steal the spotlight. It’s one of those rare albums that become instant classics the minute they’re released.

Every song is gold on Graceland, but the last track on Side 1 was one of my favorites in all its unrock & roll glory. After Simon’s trip to South Africa, he brought back a local choral group with him to New York City to record “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”. It starts off a cappella, slips into a world beat groove exactly at the 1:00 mark and oozes with joy for its duration.

“People say she's crazy. She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes. Well that's one way to lose these. Walking blues.”