Alabama 3

Alabama 3 (A3 in the U.S.) was one of the oddest musical outfits to arise from late-'90s London. Fusing gospel, country, and house -- a hybrid dubbed "chemical country" -- they debuted with 1997's Exile on Coldharbour Lane and were willfully out of step with the prevailing Brit-pop scene, singing, rapping, and preaching in deep Southern accents over pumping dance beats. Though the group was either ignored or derided by the U.K. music press, the popular television series The Sopranos employed the band's "Woke Up This Morning" as its theme music. The group maintained its cult status as it continued to record, including the albums La Peste (2000), Power in the Blood (2002), Outlaw (2005), M.O.R. (2007), and Revolver Soul (2010). ~ Garth Cartwright