It takes nerve indeed for an acoustic-blues traditionalist like Block to sing the luxurious, sophisticated soul of Chaka Khan’s "I’m Every Woman," much less arrange it as an acoustic-blues song. It takes yet more nerve for her to do — no acoustics here — deep soul songs like Curtis Mayfield’s "Fool for You," Al Green’s "Tired of Being Alone," Ashford & Simpson’s "Ain’t Nothin’ like the Real Thing" (a duet with Keb’ Mo’), Bobby Womack’s "Love TKO," and Ann Peebles’s "I Feel like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home" — obviously Block believes in the adage "in for a penny, in for a pound."

She doesn’t always conquer — the nuanced frustration of Al Green especially (adapted, in his case, directly from Otis Redding, an entirely unapproachable master) she barely manages. Still, hers are the first attempts by any singer at wresting classic soul statements from their authors and making them, as the album title states, everybody’s. Block proves herself a solid singer with muscle, heart, a beauteous soprano, and, yes, sexual heat. She even contributes a soul statement of her own, "Talkin’ ’Bout My Man." Singing "everybody’s music," this master of the far-away world of old acoustic blues brings her personal life much closer to where her fans actually live than ever before.