Good call on the Chris Isaac, my parents listened to a decent amount of him and that's actually a pretty good tune. :yesway:
Maybe not "pop," but the Smashing Pumpkins' "Rhinoceros" has a
completely unexpectedly intense solo section:
Also, I've always been a huige fan of Sarah McLachlan's guitarist on "Surfacing," particularly his playing on this track:
It's barely even a "solo" or even a "performance" in the traditional sense, but it's fucking awesome. It's really just the sound of a guitar distilled to the point of abstraction.