One of the network’s few remaining musical traditions (R.I.P. Rock of Love), VH1 Divas returned for its ninth go-around on Monday night. This year, the concert sought to “showcase the vast impact soul music has had on the 21st century’s music and pop culture landscape,” so Florence Welch, Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, and Jennifer Hudson all showed up. So did The Roots, who of course served as the house band.

The concert was taped at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Sunday night to be aired 24 hours later. Below, you can watch a few of the highlights, including Flo covering Annie Lennox’s “Walking On Broken Glass”, Badu, Chaka Kahn, and Mavis Staples teaming up on “I’ll Take You There”, and The Roots’ Black Thought, Badu, and Jill Scott reliving their The Roots Come Alive collaboration  ”You Got Me”. There was also a tribute to Amy Winehouse, featuring a cover of “Back To Black” by Welch and “You Know I’m No Good” by Jones (w/ The Dap-Kings) and Wanda Jackson. You can watch the entire concert here.

Florence Welch – “Walking On Broken Glass (Annie Lennox cover)”:

Florence Welch – “Back To Black” (Amy Winehouse cover):

Black Thought, Erykah Badu & Jill Scott – “You Got Me”:

Sharon Jones & Wanda Jackson – “You Know I’m No Good” (Amy Winehouse cover):

Erykah Badu, Chaka Kahn & Mavis Staples – “I’ll Take You There”:

Mary J. Blige – “Mr. Wrong”:

The album’s centerpiece and lead single is “So in Love”, a duet featuring a game performance from Anthony Hamilton. His back-and-forth with Scott is the stuff R&B dreams are made of. Contributions from fellow artists surface all over the first half of the album, where even Eve pops up on “Shame” to prove she still raps. There’s even the welcome return of Doug E. Fresh, who beatboxes over pool hall piano in the gleeful “All Cried Out Redux” to temporarily steal the spotlight from Scott. It’s a shame Paul Wall’s verse on “So Gone (What My Mind Says)” feels so out of place(“I know you feel it all in your stomach/When you arch your back… Ass in the air when you bite that pillow”).

At 14 tracks, The Light of the Sun would have fared better if cut by three or four numbers. But that’s why god invented the skip button. Forget the tiresome slow-tempo tracks, such as “When I Wake Up” and “Rolling Hills”, and enjoy the rest of the record. Bask in the short, free verse stylings of “Quick” and the beautiful piano ballad that is “Hear My Call”. You may come out feeling quite “Blessed”. And, yes, I went there.

Helmed by video auteur Michel Gondry, Block Party was released shortly after Chappelle’s much publicized decision to abandon his $50 million Comedy Central contract for Chappelle’s Show. This timing meant that the film was one of the few glimpses Chappelle’s public would get of his quirky comedy at that time.

Most of the film’s fun derives from watching Chappelle organize the concert. He knocks on doors in the Brooklyn neighborhood where the concert will be held. He travels to Dayton to recruit the middle-aged white ladies who work at the corner store he frequents. He surprises the marching band at Central State University with a bus ride to the show (the band later accompanies West on a blistering version of “Jesus Walks”.)

But as fun as it is to watch Chappelle bring the show together, the actual performances sometimes get lost in the mix. That’s where this soundtrack comes in. It recalls the spirit of the film, while allowing listeners to experience the full breadth of the performances. Listening to the film’s accompanying live versions brings to mind scenes from the film, like Scott singing along backstage while Def and Kweli perform on stage.

The album opens with a hilarious concert planning conference call between some of the proposed participants. A hip-hop geek can thrill to hear Scott, Kweli, et al. greet one another on the phone like old high school chums. Dead Prez’ “Hip Hop” gets things going smartly before Def and Kweli launch into “Definition” from their critically acclaimed Black Star album. Separately, Def works his quicksilver flow on “Umi Says”, while Kweli’s stinging version of “The Blast” is enhanced even more by the presence of Badu.

Later, Scott brings it on a stirring performance of her single “Golden”. Common, Badu and Bilal reunite briefly for “The Light”. And not surprisingly, The Roots hold it all down with the kinetic “Boom”, featuring Big Daddy Kane & Kool G Rap.

Perhaps the best performance is The Roots’ rendition of their Grammy-winning hit “You Got Me.” Both Scott and Badu sing the hook that Scott wrote and Badu made famous.

Given the significance of The Fugees’ reunion in the film, the omission of their performance is jarring, as is the absence of West’s “Jesus Walks”. But even with these omissions, this soundtrack is still a stellar snapshot of a terrific film and one heck of a time capsule for hip-hop fans.

Check Out: