Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Actors are dabbling in the music business. Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood launched his label Simian Records in 2005, signing U.S. indie-rock band Apples in Stereo. Keifer Sutherland, son of Canadian actors Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas and star of TV’s 24, started the Ironworks record label and signed Canada’s acclaimed singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith. And now Matthew McConaughey, who has starred in such movies as Dazed and Confused, The Wedding Planner and, recently, Tropic Thunder, has formed the Just Keep Livin’ label to showcase his discovery: reggae artist Mishka. Matthew became enamored with Mishka’s music, a soulful, rootsy style of reggae reminiscent of Bob Marley, while p...

There have always been two sides to Ben Harper. At times, he’s the mellow folkie, a spiritual cousin to singing surfer dude Jack Johnson. On other occasions, he’s the high-powered rocker, a freewheeling soul brother with shades of Lenny Kravitz. Ben’s eclecticism has sometimes made the California native hard to categorize. He further confounded followers when he collaborated with the Blind Boys of Alabama on a gospel album, for which he won a Grammy in 2005. At the heart of Ben’s sound is his love of roots music, especially blues songs that allow him to play slide guitar. White Lies for Dark Times, his latest album features plenty of slide sounds. But many of the new songs, recorded with his...

Moby, a.k.a. Richard Melville Hall, is the vegan prince of techno, a man who sold millions of CDs with his rich, gospel-inflected electronica. Here, the great-great-great nephew of Moby Dick’s Herman Melville eschews high-tech studio wizardry in favor of an understated, made-in-the-bedroom affair. The result is dark and strangely compelling. The moody “A Seated Night” sounds like an outtake from David Lynch’s surreal TV classic Twin Peaks, while “Pale Horses” is Moby’s mournful lament on lost loved ones. July 2009

His voice is best remembered on classic Band hits like “The Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” After a miraculous recovery from throat cancer, Levon won a Grammy for his 2007 comeback album, Dirt Farmer, an acoustic folk collection. This often urgent, electric followup runs as wide and deep as the Mississippi, adding gospel, blues and soul on the Staple Singers’ “Move Along Train,” the Grateful Dead’s “Tennessee Jed” and Randy Newman’s “Kingfish,” which recall the Band at its finest. July 2009  

Ready for a musical flashback? Matthew and ex-Bangle Susanna covered 1960s hits in Vol. 1. Now the pair of pop vets are back to harmonize their way through ’70s classics, tackling power-pop (the Raspberries’ “Go All the Way”), glam (Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes”) and prog-rock (Yes’ “I’ve Seen All Good People”). Throw in a little Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, Carly Simon, Todd Rundgren and a couple of ex-Beatles and the whole sweetly nostalgic package amounts to a deliciously fun-filled summer jukebox. July 2009  

Sugar Ray is best remembered for its mega-hit “Fly,” a slice of infectious pop-reggae that dominated the airwaves in the late ’90s. A decade later, singer Mark McGrath’s California band is back with more summery sounds. There’s nothing inventive about affable party songs like “Boardwalk,” “She’s Got the (Woo-Hoo)” and “Dance Like No One’s Watchin’.” And “Girls Were Made to Love” simply follows the commercial formula of “Fly.” But give Sugar Ray credit: they sure know how to market nostalgia. August 2009  

If Mount Rushmore featured iconic musicians instead of America’s founding fathers, Willie Nelson’s craggy face—complete with his beard, ponytail and bandana—would most surely be etched in the giant rock face. For half a century, the colorful artist has been a dominant force on the cultural landscape as a singer-songwriter, author, poet, actor and activist—even when he’s run afoul of the law for unpaid taxes and his marijuana habit. Willie experienced his first success in the early 1960s when Patsy Cline recorded his now-classic “Crazy,” which topped the pop and country charts. Then Willie, who earned the nickname the “Red Haired Stranger,” made his mark with fellow country outlaws Waylon Jen...

Best known as the lead singer of Ireland’s the Cranberries, Dolores is now one of Canada’s best-kept secrets. Married to Canadian Don Burton, Duran Duran’s former tour manager, with whom she has three children, Dolores spends part of each year with her family in a log cabin “deep in the woods” of southern Ontario. Obviously, the solitude has proven fruitful. Dolores’ second solo album is filled with rich, reflective songs like “Skeleton,” “The Journey” and the starkly confessional piano ballad “Lunatic.” August 2009

Her voice is familiar due to the presence of “Hide and Seek” on bandwidths and airwaves everywhere, most notably on TV’s The OC and YouTube, with more than seven million views. While there’s nothing as immediately distinctive as that electro-yodeling 2005 single, the British singer’s third solo album does offer a feast of aural delights, especially on the pulsing “First Train Home,” the breathy “Tidal” and the anthemic “Earth,” in which Imogen’s voice provides a sweet melody and some wildly compelling rhythms. August 2009

Terri hails from Medicine Hat, Alberta—with hat being the operative word. The Stetson-wearing, multi-platinum-selling gal has been doing her hometown proud ever since moving to Nashville and scoring nearly a dozen Top 10 country hits. Terri produced her latest CD herself, proving once again that she’s every bit her own woman. Whether it’s the bluesy “Gypsy Boots,” the sexy “If You Want Fire” or the tender ballad “The One You Love,” a duet with country star Vince Gill, Terri projects passion and conviction. September 2009