Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Like Gwen Stefani, Wainwright makes his screen debut in The Aviator, in which he also sings. Film is the perfect vehicle for Rufus’ theatrical music, which often seems too grand for CDs alone. This release, the dark flipside to 2003’s fine Want One, covers both bases, offering 14 audio tracks and a 20-track concert DVD. It’s a formidable package, featuring operatic and classical nuances on such new and recent songs as the charming “Little Sister,” the harrowing “This Love Affair” and the heartbreaking “Dinner at Eight.”

Not to be confused with her album of the same name, this DVD is a visual feast for fans of the Harlem-born singer. It ventures deep into Keys’ world: on her tour bus with her mother, in her dressing room with her stylists, backstage during group prayers with her band and water-skiing in Monte Carlo. It follows her to the Middle East, where Keys, looking a tad embarrassed, is treated like royalty in Dubai with a stunningly luxurious hotel suite. And the number of different hats she dons throughout is a wonder to behold.

This Los Angeles post-grunge quartet is little more than the sum of its influences, namely Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Stone Temple Pilots. Led by singer-guitarist Scott Stevens, the band summons Kurt Cobain’s tortured vocals, Dave Grohl’s melodic hooks and STP’s raw guitars on tracks like “Slow Drain,” “Baptize Me” and “Dear Enemy.” The clone-like effect was ensured by hiring Foo Fighter producer Nick Raskulinecz. But, after three albums, you’d expect that the Exies might want to break some new ground. Sadly not.

Filmed at Toronto’s Molson Amphitheatre, this DVD brings drama and excitement to Earth Mama Sarah’s otherwise serene and soothing set, thanks to lavish set and lighting and a superb nine-camera, 16mm shoot by hot director Russell Thomas (Coldplay: Live 2003). McLachlan beams her way through hits like “Sweet Surrender,” “Possession” and “Fallen,” Afterglow’s best song, thrilled that she hasn’t been forgotten during her lengthy time off to have a baby. Includes videos, an interview, a bonus audio CD and more.

Smith is synonymous with the Hammond B3 organ. This excellent four-CD box set compiles his stellar jazz work for Blue Note from 1956-63, beginning with his lightning-fast version of Dizzy Gillespie’s “The Champ” through to his pairing with tenor saxman Stanley Turrentine on Smith’s own bluesy “Back at the Chicken Shack.” Best are his sessions with drummer Art Blakey, guitarist Kenny Burrell and alto sax great Lou Donaldson, especially the inspired jam on Smith’s 20-minute masterpiece “The Sermon.”

A lot of Christmas albums feature phoned-in performances, but jazz singer Reeves brings a convincing presence to such yuletide nuggets as “Let it Snow” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Her slow, syncopated take on “Little Drummer Boy” ranks among the best ever recorded of that seasonal classic. And, having toured with Sergio Mendes and previously covered songs by Dori Caymmi and Antonio Carlos Jobim, it’s no surprise that Reeves would add a tasty Brazilian samba groove to “Christmas Waltz.”  

To mark its 20th anniversary, Blue Rodeo offers a classy DVD that truly celebrates the beloved band and its history. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Ron Mann, it features novelist Paul Quarrington delivering a wry homage to Blue Rodeo’s Toronto Sound roots of “sweet soul music.” Mann shoots the original lineup performing hits like “Try” at night in gorgeously-lit outdoor footage. And archival clips through the years reveal Greg Keelor’s ever-changing hairstyles—including his 1993 ducktail.

The bluegrass star has excelled with songs by her bandmates and some of Nashville’s best composers. Once again, she covers material by her banjo picker Ron Block, her dobro player Jerry Douglas and songwriter Robert Lee Castleman. But the most memorable moments are Krauss’s tender take on Gillian Welch’s “Wouldn’t Be So Bad” and when her guitarist Dan Tyminski (the singing voice of George Clooney in O Brother Where Are Thou?) lends his bittersweet tenor to Woody Guthrie’s “Pastures of Plenty.”

Less elegant than 2001’s sumptuous Live in Paris, Krall’s latest DVD is almost folksy by comparison. Where Paris featured stark lighting and formal attire, Montréal is all bright lights and blue jeans. But it’s a more relaxed and accessible performance, with plenty of overlapping shots, gentle dissolves and a gorgeous, birds-eye view of Krall’s keyboard work. Best of all, it leans heavily on fine Krall-Costello compositions like the tender “Narrow Daylight” and the melancholic, Joni Mitchell-influenced “Departure Bay.”

It’s been seven long years since Esthero, born Jen-Bea Englishman, released her formidable debut Breath from Another. Now, the trip-hoppy electronic pop singer whets her fans’ appetites with this soulful six-song teaser from her forthcoming followup. Pairings with Sean Lennon on the sunny “Everyday is a Holiday (With You)” and rapper Cee-Lo on the seductive gem “Gone” would, in an ideal world, land Esthero on radio or MTV, while the title track is a tuneful explanation of why that’s unlikely to happen.