Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

His father is Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, a gifted songsmith who has given the world some of its most exquisite pop tunes. Those are big shoes to fill. And Liam, who once sang with New Zealand rockers Betchadupa, comes up well short on his debut solo album. While he possesses a likeable tenor (he and his dad covered The Beatles’ “Two of Us” for the I Am Sam soundtrack), Liam lacks his father’s flair for melody and meaningful songs. Although the jury’s still out,  he could be the next  Julian Lennon. Jan. 22

Although he’s long been eclipsed by Elvis Costello, England’s other “angry young man of the new wave era,” Jackson remains a compelling composer. Jackson’s first album in five years has much to recommend, including “The Uptown Train,” a funky, Herbie Hancock-style joint guaranteed to get fingers popping and butts shaking, and “Rush Across the Road,” which boasts a sweet, infectious melody. But the highlight is “King Pleasure Time,” in which Jackson is once again looking—and sounding—sharp. Jan. 29

Somewhere, a sociology student is writing a thesis on why Toronto’s 905 district produces such a plethora of punk, thrash and screamo bands (witness the rise of Sum 41, Billy Talent and Finger Eleven). The second album from Whitby, Ont.’s Protest the Hero is a feast for metalhead fans of gothic fantasy. Featuring two movements called “Isosceles” and “On Conquest and Capture,” the songs are full of growls, blood-curdling screams, shredding guitars and ambitious tales of sacred kings and mythic goddesses. Jan. 29

The Blind Boys boast a great comeback story. Formed in 1939, the gospel group was discovered by a new generation in the last five years, winning four Grammy Awards for albums featuring songs by Tom Waits, The Rolling Stones and Ben Harper, with whom it recorded There Will Be a Light. Here, the hipster septuagenarians team up with New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint and various brass bands to deliver deeply soulful, highly rhythmic and surprisingly youthful renditions of classics like “Down By the Riverside.” Jan. 29

Stones fans often rank this recording of the band’s two-night stand at Madison Square Garden in 1969 as the greatest live rock album of all time. Now remastered with extra unreleased tracks, performances by opening acts B.B. King and Ike & Tina Turner and never-before-seen film footage, this CD-DVD set will be on many Christmas wish lists. Highlights include Mick Jagger’s fiery performance of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and Keith Richards’ and Mick Taylor’s red-hot guitar duel on “Sympathy for the Devil.”

She’s just turned 28, but already Britney Spears has already experienced a lifetime’s worth of success and controversy. Success began at 17, when her debut album, …Baby One More Time, and its title track topped the charts worldwide and made Britney became a celebrity whose sophomore album, Oops!...I Did It Again, only cemented her fame. But controversy has always dogged the former Mouseketeer, from her divorce and custody battles to rehab stints and troubles with the law. She even made headlines recently for miming during her Australian tour. Proof that she remains a pop powerhouse can be found in The Singles Collection—the second greatest hits collection of Britney’s relatively short career...

The Armani boys brigade is back with another collection of operatic-pop weepers, just in time for Christmas. Recorded on their worldwide tour of 81 cities and 32 countries, this CD-DVD package includes the handsome, multinational quartet’s typically over-the-top renditions of classical hits and pop classics sung in English, Italian, Spanish and Latin, including “Somewhere,” “My Way,” “Amazing Grace” and “Nights in White Satin.” Best of all is Il Divo’s suave Spanish version of Leonard Cohen’s glorious “Hallelujah.” December 2009

In 2001, Leonard Cohen came down from the mountain—literally, the Mount Baldy Zen Center northeast of Los Angeles—after five years in seclusion as a Buddhist monk. But the Montreal-born poet’s joyous return was short-lived when he sued his longtime manager for a $5 million misappropriation that left him nearly penniless. Although he won the lawsuit, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was told it was unlikely he’d ever be able to collect his cash. Taking matters into his own hands, Leonard launched a world tour in 2008, his first in 15 years, and was soon performing sold-out concerts across Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The tour continues in the United States and with more Canadian ...

One of Canada’s longest running bands, Blue Rodeo forged its country-tinged rock sound on Toronto’s Queen Street in 1984. Since then, the group has released more than a dozen albums and sold more than four million copies while winning five Junos and a place on Canada’s Walk of Fame. Blue Rodeo’s success is rooted in the songwriting partnership of Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, whose friendship began on the football field at North Toronto Collegiate Institute. To mark the band’s 25th anniversary, Jim and Greg—along with bassist Bazil Donovan, drummer Glenn Milchem and pedal steel player Bob Egan—have made the ambitious The Things We Left Behind, a double album released in both CD and vinyl format...

Martina Sorbara is hard to ignore. The singer-songwriter, daughter of former Ontario finance minister Greg Sorbara, first turned heads as a provocative solo artist. These days, with her husband, bassist-producer Dan Kurtz, she’s the striking frontwoman of stylish electro-popsters Dragonette. The band’s latest CD is a mostly thrilling affair, with a fizzy pop sound featuring Martina’s frenzied yelps and sexy purrs over dazzling synths and block-rockin’ beats, best heard on “Easy” and the banjo-sampling “Gone Too Far.”  November 2009