Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

It’s been 30 years since she arrived as a beret-wearing, jazz-loving boho chick singing “Chuck E.’s in Love.” Rickie Lee’s latest shows just how far she’s come as a singer-songwriter, with songs as varied as the country-tinged “Remember Me,” the lovely gospel hymn “The Jeweled Floor” and the bluesy “Old Enough,” a duet with Ben Harper. Her heartfelt “Wild Girl,” written for her daughter Charlotte’s 21st birthday, offers this pearl of motherly wisdom: “the thing that makes you beautiful doesn’t come out of a jar.” November 2009

This 24-year-old singer is living a charmed life. Catapulted from Pizza Hut waitress to a lucrative recording career thanks to her win on British TV’s The X Factor, Leona sold over six million copies of her debut album, Spirit, with the help of svengali-mentors Simon Cowell and Clive Davis. Her followup is filled with more big-lunged ballads like “Happy” and “Can’t Breathe” and such cheesy Euro-dance numbers as “Outta My Head.” Like fast food, her album tingles the taste buds but lacks any lasting nourishment. November 2009  

Led Zeppelin’s influence still looms over today’s hard rockers. Take the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, who are living the fanboy fantasy by joining legendary Zep bassist John Paul Jones in this spirited supergroup. Dave’s explosive drumming echoes John Bonham’s crazed tribal thump and songs like “Elephants” and “Bandoliers” update various Zep classics, even if Josh sings more like David Bowie than Robert Plant. Wildly inspired and blessedly free of indulgent solos. November 2009

Is there anything Colombian pop superstar Shakira can’t do? Fluent in English, Portuguese and Italian whose fans include Nobel Prize winning novelist Gabriel Garçia Marquez, she’s most famous for her best-selling hit “Hips Don’t Lie.” But now, with her third English studio album, the singer—who’s also an active philanthropist and history student—has unleashed her inner wolf on this lusty slice of eclectic electronica. Full of buzzes, bleeps and howls, it’s full of delightfully batty lyrics and impossibly catchy beats. November 2009  

With his gruff voice and often dark musical accompaniment, this idiosyncratic American legend is certainly a master of doom of sorts. But Tom is also a dazzling performer, conjuring up a modern homage to vaudeville, carnivals and old-time minstrel shows. This double CD live set captures plenty of glitter, from the colorful characters of “Live Circus” to the driving railroad rhythm of “Get Behind the Mule,” with percussion from Tom’s son Casey. The spoken-word Disc Two is a wonderfully wacky tour de force. December 2009

Haydain Neale’s death from lung cancer last month shocked those who knew only that the soul singer had recovered from a serious 2007 traffic accident. Blessed with a heavenly falsetto and huge charisma, Haydain has left fans with a gorgeous album that adds to his lustrous legacy, especially fine new songs like the acoustic gem “Lonesome Highway,” the Motown-sweet “How We Do” and the mellifluous reggae of “You’re Beautiful.” All proceeds from the sale of the CD go to the Haydain Neale Family Trust. December 2009

This is a landmark month in African-American history. While Barack Obama is sworn in as the first black U.S. president, Motown celebrates its 50th anniversary. The first record label owned by an American-American to feature black artists who achieved crossover success, Motown changed the look and sound of popular music. Its groundbreaking role is highlighted in a new CD box set, Motown: The Complete No. 1’s, which contains every chart-topping single ever issued by the company.    Berry Gordy, a former auto plant-worker, opened Motown in 1959 in a house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in downtown Detroit. The following year, the label scored its first chart-topper, “Shop Around” by the Miracles,...

There’s something about Scottish pop—even songs sung in the thickest of brogues—that makes it undeniably majestic and uplifting. Perhaps it’s the surging guitars and soaring vocals common to bands like Big Country, Simple Minds and the Proclaimers. Add Glasvegas, whose name conflates the band’s hometown, Glasgow, with America’s Sin City, to that list. Led by singer James Allan, the promising quartet concocts a stirring pop brew on its excellent debut, especially on the moving ode to divorce “Daddy’s Gone.” January 2009

She’s been dubbed “Diana Krall-lite” by the jazz police, but Jane’s last album, Surrender, topped the Billboard jazz charts and the New York singer now performs to sold-out audiences all over the world. For her latest CD, Jane continues to vocally caress bossa novas like “A Primeira Vez” and such American songbook classics as Cole Porter’s “Get Out of Town.” But she also branches out into contemporary pop terrain, covering Paul Simon, Fiona Apple and Corrine Bailey Rae. A good move—even if the purists hate it. January 2009

Rock ’n’ roll doesn’t have a better working-class hero than Bruce Springsteen, who has been singing about the hopes and dreams of working people for 35 years. Lately, his songs have turned darker and angrier, as he dealt with 9/11, the Iraq war and economic hardships. Not surprisingly, Bruce has been one of Barack Obama’s most ardent supporters. At a rally for the Illinois senator’s presidential candidacy, he gave an impassioned speech and debuted a new song, “Working On a Dream.” That song is now the title track of the Boss’ latest album. Less bleak than his recent recordings, Working On a Dream draws on the same sense of hope that Bruce expressed in his rally speech. The title track and “M...