Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

This teenager is proof that some air guitarists become the real thing. From his Saskatoon bedroom to U.S. ballrooms, opening for the likes of Buddy Guy and James Brown, Riabko is living the dream. His debut album has the laid-back groove of label-mate John Mayer, on songs like the ballad “Half as Much” and the bluesy “What Did I Get Myself Into.” But Riabko scores a more original sound on the erotic workout “Miss Behavin’” and the rocker “Chemistry #2,” his sexy duet with cougar Liz Phair. Precocious or what? Apr. 19

Whether singing tender songs of vulnerability like “Far Away” or tearing the roof off with such raging confessionals as “Ball & Chain,” Wainwright delivers a formidable debut. Having dutifully sung with Rufus for years, she now conscripts her brother for backup duty on “Don’t Forget” and “The Maker.” Martha offers an exquisite reading of the 19th century ballad “Whither Must I Wander,” but her soul-baring “Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole” is the tour-de-force track that declares she has, unmistakably, arrived. Apr. 12

Elvis’ only child didn’t release her debut until she was 35—after having survived drugs, Scientology and two children from three marriages. Still, To Whom It May Concern was a pleasant surprise, full of confessionals and dark odes to Graceland. Sadly, Now What suffers from the sophomore jinx. Apart from the gritty ballad “Shine,” it’s a disappointing throwback to the icky ’80s, from faux Sex Pistols’ guitar buzz of “Idiot” to the dreadful Don Henley number “Dirty Laundry,” the album’s first single. Retro-dreck.

This Vancouver chamber pop quartet favors tiny perfect ditties that mix influences ranging from The Beach Boys to Yo La Tengo. Vocal harmonies float above piano, trumpet, bass clarinet, zither and drum machine on beguiling tracks like “”Covered Wagons,” “Leave Me with the Boy” and the curious “Somebody Get Me Annette.” With their obvious classical training, the group—led by Nick Krgovich and Larissa Loyva—might appear to be slumming. But ultimately, P:ano’s passion for pop rings true. Apr. 5

Canada’s queen of unvarnished emotion, Arden generally writes sad, weighty songs—in sharp contrast to her wry, offstage wit. While there’s still plenty of melancholy on her latest album, Arden and collaborator Russell Broom have mostly aimed for a lighter, more upbeat approach. “Where No One Knows Me” is an escapist road song, while “Rock This Girl” is a sexy invitation for lover to give her “everything I desire.” Bonus track: a stunning live duet with Sarah McLachlan on Arden’s “I Would Die for You.” Apr. 5   

Now married (to actress Marissa Ribisi) and with his first child, Beck sounds suitably grown up on his eclectic eighth album. There’s contentment on tracks like the Brazilian-flavored “Missing” and the piano-laced “Broken Drum.” And lush, playful orchestrations suggest a happiness that was absent on 2002’s moody Sea Change. Ultimately, the celebratory vibe of hip-hop tracks like “Hell Yes” and the Latino-tinged “Qué Onda Guero,” a tribute to Beck’s roots in east Los Angeles, proves totally contagious. Mar. 29

Full of sticky themes and thick power chords, the stoner band’s fourth outing is a mixed bag, as Josh Homme and his boys dabble in punk, rockabilly, waltz, funk, blues and country. From the primal beats of “Burn the Witch” and the Black Flag guitar of “Medication” to the angular “Someone’s in the Wolf,” the album is surprisingly experimental. The Queens may have been searching for another “No One Knows,” their 2002 radio hit, but ultimately they stumbled on something fresher and more appealing. Mar. 22

This installment in the Classic Albums DVD series features Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic looking back on Nirvana’s breakthrough record that Grohl proudly admits has a “purity and honesty you don’t hear very often.” Producer Butch Vig dissects the album like a scientist with a petrie dish, isolating tracks on “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Polly” and others to demonstrate the mellifluous quality of Kurt Cobain’s voice and to analyze the alchemy behind the “very dark, very beautiful” album that defined a generation. Mar. 22

Moby = multi-tasker. The man born Richard Melville Hall (distant relative of Moby Dick author Herman Melville) has made a career as a DJ, remixer, producer and recording artist who plays every instrument. He’s also an imaginative entrepreneur who runs a restaurant in New York’s lower East Village. The sample-free Hotel is like a boutique residence with diverse sounds on every floor: disco (“Very”), ballads (“Forever”) and rousing sing-alongs (“Lift Me Up”). A second ambient disc serves as a relaxing sauna. Mar. 22    

Athlete caused a stir with its debut album, 2003’s Vehicles & Animals. While the album enjoyed commercial success and won a Mercury Prize nomination, reviews ranged from raves to one review that dismissed the South London quartet’s music as “dolefully drippy piss.” Alas, on their latest, the members of Athlete show themselves to be just that—lightweight Coldplay wannabes—on songs like the dreary “Chances” and the mournful “Wires.” And there’s nothing drippier than sensitive pop without the emotional payoff.