Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Despite the title of her latest album, there’s nothing plain about Chantal Kreviazuk. A stunning brunette, in-demand songwriter, active mother to three boys with her rock-star husband Raine Maida, with homes in Los Angeles and Toronto, Chantal, in many ways, has it all. So why call her new album Plain Jane? “It’s very hard for me to put on,” she says, of her image as half of Canadian rock’s most glamorous power couple. “I think I’m incredibly boring.” We’re not convinced, Chantal. The Winnipeg-born artist has been wowing audiences ever since making her recording debut in 1996 with Under These Rocks. Since then, the classically trained pianist has sold millions of albums and twice won Juno Aw...

The ’Fro is on the go. Known for his striking Afro hairdo, Alex is one of Canada’s fast-rising stars. The Cuban-born musician has collaborated with the likes of Ron Sexsmith, Blue Rodeo and, most recently, Nelly Furtado, while developing his own appealing musical fusion. Alex’s third album is a spirited mix of styles, from the sunny reggae of the opening “Directo” to the freewheeling funk-rock of “Caballo.” And Alex proves he’s ready for his close-up with his first English song, the joyous “If You Give Me Love.” October 2009

Fans of Feist and Norah Jones will flock to the sophomore album by this rising Canadian star. Blessed with a warm, willowy voice and a painterly touch with imagistic lyrics, Jenn dazzles with confident new folk-pop songs like “Heartbreaker,” “Blue Mountains” and “Where Are You Now,” all backed by violin and bass clarinet. A graduate of Halifax’s Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (also Sarah McLachlan’s alma mater), she also graces her album’s cover with one of her dreamiest, Group of Seven-inspired paintings. January 2009

Bless Lily Allen. The pint-sized Brit remains the most refreshing thing in pop music, injecting cheeky observations about modern life into undeniably catchy songs. The daughter of divorced parents, film producer Alison Owen and actor-comedian Keith Allen, Lily, now 23, took the world by storm with her 2007 debut, Alright, Still, and its summery hits “Smile” and “LDN.” In the process, she sold 2.6 million albums and became an instant celebrity, with a TV talk show and her own fashion line, Lily Loves. For a while, it appeared that Lily was going to self-destruct amid drinking binges, paparazzi clashes and feuds with pop stars like Amy Winehouse. Luckily for us, her second album finds her in f...

Since fleeing Somalia in 1991, escaping with his family on the last commercial flight out of war-torn Mogadishu, K’naan has established himself as a gifted poet and inspired rapper. His second CD could make him a hip-hop hero all over the world, mixing ancient African melodies and fresh urban beats with rhymes inventive enough to rival Eminem. Stretching the genre, K’naan gets Dylanesque on the anthemic “Waving Flag” and turns downright soulful on “Bang Bang,” a crossover duet with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. February 2009

The former frontman of English rockers the Smiths, Morrissey is renowned as much for his militant vegetarianism (the Smiths’ album Meat is Murder shared its title with his controversial song of the same name) as for his ambiguous sexuality. Despite its daddy-like cover, Morrissey’s latest album offers no clues as to his current preferences. But it does offer a firm rebuke to his “miserablist” persona. On joyful songs like “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris,” Morrissey, who is about to turn 50, sounds positively giddy. February 2009

Like any good sports team, the mark of a great rock band is its ability to bounce back from defeat. U2 did that earlier this decade, with the success of All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb after its pompous and pretentious outings of the 1990s, Zooropa and Pop. With their latest recording, Bono and the boys have achieved the equivalent of the sporting world’s three-peat with their third consecutively winning album. Full of anthems that soar over emotional peaks and valleys, No Line on the Horizon covers often familiar U2 terrain. Numbers like “Magnificent,” a fiercely euphoric love song featuring the Edge’s searing guitar riffs and drummer Larry Mullen’s milit...

Her father was Gene MacLellan, who wrote Anne Murray’s immortal “Snowbird.” Clearly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Catherine’s new album showcases her inherited gift for writing deeply memorable songs. A little bit country and more upbeat than her last album, the melancholic Church Bell Blues, this collection features playful numbers like “Hotel Stairs,” the spiritual “Something Gold” and one touching tune for her daughter, “Isabel’s Song.” Like her dad’s best tunes, Catherine’s can also melt hearts. February 2009

The new album cover depicts her wielding a sword on the hood of a muscle car. What does it represent? Maybe Neko’s personal battle against mediocrity. The Virginian-born honorary Canadian (she cut her musical teeth in Vancouver’s indie scene) never settles for easy formulas. Here, the gifted singer delivers songs about tornadoes, birds and other wildlife. There’s even a chorus of crickets on the album’s closing track. Quirky, yes, but Neko is that rare breed of artist whose beguiling sound must be heard to be believed. February 2009

Bet.e & Stef were a Latin Ian & Sylvia: an attractive Canadian duo performing bossa nova. Now a solo artist, Montreal chanteuse bet.e (she now favors a kd lang-style lower case name) still performs Brazilian music with her beguiling voice. Her debut album includes a cool, bossa nova version of Cole Porter’s “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” and several sexy sambas. But bet.e is clearing also becoming a first-rate composer. Check out her stellar original songs like “Sky is Falling” and the Sade-like “Omigod.” March 2009