Graceland (2012)

Though you will see Till We Have Faces often mentioned as the first rock album to draw from world music influences, that's not quite true. Santana, John McLaughlin, Os Mutantes, the Police, Jade Warrior, and others were doing it long before. That said, the album was done before Paul Simon ushered it in as a trend with Graceland. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro and mixed in London, it's a step away from the progressive rock he'd become recognized for and is a mostly successful venture. A couterie of Latin percussionists flesh out the almost all Brazilian band that graces the album, adding layers of complex rhythms. These rhythms are the core of the album and make such songs as "A Doll That's Made in Japan" and "What's My Name" more exotic and interesting; they creatively juxtapose Oriental and South American styles…