Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

BARK is to roots music what the New Pornographers are to power pop: a superb Canadian indie supergroup. Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden and Tom Wilson clearly have way too much fun singing together, as evidenced by bluesy original “Life is Golden,” new country nugget “Crown of Thorns” and joyful pub rocker “That’s What I Like,” to do just the solo thing. Despite a guest appearance by country star Pam Tillis, the album highlight is the group’s moving treatment of Daniel Lanois’ exquisite “House of Soul.” Sept. 12

Like Norah Jones, Peyroux inhabits a world that might be called near jazz: lots of blue notes and a bit of swing, but not nearly enough jazz-like daring. Still, there’s an appealing fragility in Peyroux ’s voice, which often gets compared to greats like Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith. Her vulnerability is well-suited to Fred Neil’s escapist “Everybody’s Talkin’” and Charlie Chaplin’s brave “Smile.” And her gentle phrasing provides the perfect glide to kd lang’s magnificent push on Joni Mitchell’s skating classic “River.”  Sept. 12

Cuddy forever sealed his place in the Canadian pop pantheon with his oh-so-sweet vocal on Blue Rodeo’s 1987 hit “Try.” That high, keening tenor serves as the mellifluous counterpart to Greg Keelor’s scruffier alto. Here, on Cuddy’s sophomore solo release, it’s heard on the choruses to the title track and “All I Need.” Elsewhere, Cuddy croons in mid-register on the piano ballad “Pull Me Through” and on the melancholic “What She Said.” And country vixen Kathleen Edwards chimes in on the honky-tonkin’ “Married.” Sept. 12

Ever since 1984’s How Will the Wolf Survive, this Latin band from East L.A. has proven itself to be one of the most intelligent rock groups anywhere. Forget “La Bamba.” Instead, check out this fine concept album, chronicling the immigrant experience, and Los Lobos’ best work since 1992’s Buñuel-like dreamscape classic, Kiko. From the defiant “The Road to Gila Bend,” about an Hispanic fugitive, and the infectious “Chuco’s Cumbia” to the gorgeous, folk-flavored “Luna,” this is American roots music at its finest. Sept. 12

Sugarcult seems to have sorted out its identity crisis. On its debut album, the SoCal quartet displayed a fondness for carefree, punky anthems of the blink-182 variety. On the band’s followup, the band shifted to a more serious, hard-rock stance. For their third album, singer Tim Pagnotta and crew seem to have settled on lyrically lightweight power-pop songs like “Do it Alone,” “Shaking” and the “Majoring in Minors,” about one-night-stands and longer-term affairs. A predictable, but highly commercial formula. Sept. 12

It’s been more than a decade since the Motor City rock legend released an album of new material. The son of a Ford plant worker, best known for hits like “Night Moves” and “Old Time Rock & Roll” (remember Tom Cruise’s skivvies dance in Risky Business?), is back in the game with the Stones-y rocker “Wreck This Heart” and the mid-tempo ballad “Wait for Me,” which echoes his 1980 hit “Against the Wind.” For “Real Mean Bottle,” Seger, now 61, teams up with his protégé Kid Rock for Detroit-style country stomper. Sept. 12

Once goofy geeks, the Ladies are now erudite artists with families, cottages and RRSPs. Their wisecracks have given way to a thoughtful global perspective and a group dynamic that allows other group members to step forward more frequently. Although frontman Steven Page’s gypsy-like “Everything Had Changed” is an album highlight, Jim Creeggan’s pastoral “Peterborough and the Kawarthas,” and keyboardist Kevin Hearn’s tender “Vanishing” and Queen-like “Sound of Your Voice” offer refreshing new sounds. Sept. 12

Raw, dirty, fiery and visceral, The Black Keys sound just like what you might expect from two grown-up kids from Akron, Ohio whose basement experiments mix classic rock with Mississippi blues. Here, singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney lean more to fuzzed-out Led Zeppelin influences than the gutbucket strains of bluesmen like Junior Kimbrough that characterized 2004’s Rubber Factory. It’s still a thrilling, minimalist and sometimes scary sound, heavy on hypnotic riffs and thunderous beats. Sept. 5

They’ve rapped with Nelly Furtado and been the subject of Shania Twain’s risqué joke at the Juno Awards. But Vancouver’s Swollen Members really don’t need attention from Canadian songbirds: the hip-hop crew has attracted a formidable following on its own. The fifth album from Prevail and Mad Child is a return to the talented duo’s patented dark, aggressive style. Tracks like “Blackout,” “Deadly” and the piano-laced “Prisoner of Doom” are full of dread, foreboding and enough wicked beats to please diehard fans. Sept. 5   

Hailing from Brisbane, this Aussie power-pop trio (singer Patience Hodgson, guitarist John Patterson and drummer Alana Skyring) boasts a childlike charm. From the cartoon giraffe on the album cover to the bubblegum romp of “19-20-20” and the bouncy frivolity of “Trampoline,” it’s clear the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. Even more serious numbers, like the banjo-driven “Sukkafish” and the angst-ridden “Feels Like Pain,” sound like moonshine-fuelled mountain music or wicked Nirvana send ups. Giddy stuff. Aug. 29