Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

The electronic glam-pop duo of Will Gregory and Alison Goldfrapp are shamelessly retro: he plays cheesy, ’80s-style synthesizers that sound one step up from Casios, while she favors Marlene Dietrich curls, skintight catsuits and mile-high platform shoes. Musically, they channel everyone from T.Rex and Roxy Music to Gary Numan and Donna Summer. But, somehow, Goldfrapp manages to sound thoroughly modern, particularly on the decadent disco of “Ooh La La” and “Ride a White Horse.” Feb. 21

The guests on his album read like an incestuous rock-family tree, from his parents, Richard and Linda Thompson, and sibling friends Rufus and Martha Wainwright to Jenni Muldaur, daughter of Maria Muldaur. Musically, he gets compared to Jackson Browne. But the talented Thompson Jr. sounds most like Crowded House’s Neil Finn, especially on “I Should Get Up” and the break-up themed title track. On “Shine So Bright,” he sings: “I want to be a huge star who hangs out in hotel bars.” With such impeccable lineage and friends, no doubt he will be. Feb. 14

The chief Kink planned to release his first solo album in 2004—until he was shot in the leg while chasing purse-snatchers in New Orleans. That grim incident is colorfully recounted on “After the Fall.” Other songs, including “The Tourist” and “The Getaway,” also deal with wry observations on American life. While none match the wit of his English-themed classics, such as “Shangri-La,” “Sunny Afternoon” and “Waterloo Sunset,” it’s good to have Davies, one of pop’s most gifted tunesmiths, back in the game. Feb. 7

Cat Power’s Chan Marshall is already an indie-rock goddess, a Nico-esque figure with a cult following. But Marshall, known as the Queen of Sadcore, now seems destined for greater fame. Her latest album, recorded with all-star Memphis sidemen, is the beguiling artist’s strongest work to date. “Could We” is a buoyant love song, while the title track is a piano ballad about a boy who dreams of becoming a boxer, And the soulful, organ-drenched “Living Proof” could well turn out to be Marshall’s big, breakthrough hit. Jan. 24    

Sly and the Family Stone was all about diversity. Racially integrated, the group preached peace and love over a groove-a-licous fusion of soul, funk, rock and r&b. This tribute album mirrors that inclusive philosophy with some ingenious reinterpretations. Maroon 5 covers “Everyday People” and Black Eyed Peas’ Wil.i.am tackles “Dance to the Music.” But best is the blissed-out rendition of “Family Affair” by John Legend and Joss Stone, who is no relation to the legendary Sly Stone but sings so soulfully that she could be. Jan. 24

Post-modern popsters Saint Etienne have always been an anomaly. Formed by English music critic Bob Stanley and named after a French soccer team, the trio forged a new genre by mixing the pop of swinging ’60s London with the sounds of the city’s club scene of the ’90s. The group’s seventh CD is an ambitious concept album, a pop opera about a fictional London apartment block. With tales of its residents and their day-to-day lives, it could easily serve as a dreamy soundtrack to the next Sims computer game. Jan. 24   

Although still best known for singing on Paul Simon’s Graceland album, the South African gospel group, led by Joseph Shabalala, has its own impressive history, including two Grammy winning albums. Here, Mambazo re-records some of its classic songs with Emmylou Harris (“Nearer My God to Thee”) and Taj Mahal (a Delta style “Mbube”), while Sarah McLachlan and Melissa Etheridge lend their voices to Graceland’s “Homeless” and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” respectively. Sonic sweetness.  

Grime, the British amalgam of rap, garage and house music, is enjoying a huge crossover these days, with the success of artists like M.I.A., Dizzee Rascal and The Streets. Audio Bullys, aka Tom Dinsdale and Simon Franks, clearly hope to cash in on the trend with their mix of beats, samples and Cockney rap. But where The Streets’ Mike Skinner offers satirical and celebratory views of working-class London life, these brain-damaged stoners never rise above their dead-end existence. Desultory and depressing. Jan. 24   

Despite their claim, singer-guitarist Keith Murray, bassist Chris Cain and drummer Michael Tapper are actually math teachers—or at least look like it. Nerdy in the extreme (minus the pocket protectors), the Brooklyn-based rock trio is equally academic in its approach to music. The group’s debut album, named for a J.D. Salinger short story collection, adds elements of punk and new wave on songs like “Textbook,” Can’t Lose” and “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt.” Catchy pop hooks are also part of the equation. Jan. 10

The Strokes have rocketed to the dark edges of space with the New York band’s heaviest, most dangerous sounding album to date. The lead-off single, “Juicebox,” comes across like a sinister Batman theme, complete with ferocious guitar. The syncopated “Razorblade” and the blistering, raging “Vision of Division” are oddly euphoric. But strangest of all is “Ask Me Anything.” With its robotic keyboard riff and Julian Casablancas’ singing repeatedly “I’ve got nothing to say,” it’s like Kraftwerk on crack. Jan. 3