Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

There was a time when Oh Susanna, a.k.a. Suzie Ungerleider, sang mostly murder ballads. Her songs still have an old-world luster, like intriguing sepia-toned photos, but now they embrace broader themes. Despite a couple of gunfight ditties, including a Bob Dylan cover, her fourth album is largely a collection of memorable songs about love and lust. And when she sings “Holy Roller,” with its parlor-like piano accompaniment, Ungerleider evokes Stephen Foster, from whose classic ballad she took her stage name.

Fans of Funkadelic, Captain Beefheart and the Residents all point to Zappa as the godfather of eccentric rock. This DVD, the latest in the Classic Albums series, focuses on Zappa’s two breakthrough recordings of the 1970s, featuring hits like “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” and contributions from Tina Turner and ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce. Son Dweezil acts as tour guide, while artists from Alice Cooper and Steve Vai to Billy Bob Thornton all pay tribute to the genius who claimed that “absurdity is the only reality.”

This roots-rock trio formed initially as a tribute to singer-songwriter Willie P. Bennett. But it’s grown to cover other Canadian icons as well as fine originals by members Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden and Tom Wilson. Here, on the companion to last year’s Let’s Frolic, BARK tackles two Willie gems (“Sometimes It Comes So Easy” and “Don’t Blame Your Blues on Me”), one Murray McLauchlan nugget (“Down By the Henry Moore”) and even a Teenage Head classic (“Something on My Mind”). CanCon cool.

Billed as an “unathorized [sic] documentary,” this DVD features licensed interviews with Brandon Flowers and rare performance footage (including some shot at Toronto’s Opera House). But, because it was made without approval from the band or its record company, there is no original Killers music—nothing from Hot Fuss or Sam’s Town, just sound-alike tracks from unknown groups. Relying on material from former band members and “friends” of the Killers, it amounts to a bargain-basement bio. To be avoided at all costs.

Amos has messed with multiple personalities before: Strange Little Girls included a different photographic persona for each cover song. Now the flame-haired diva with the Bösendorfer piano is channeling five female characters, drawn from goddesses in the Greek pantheon, through songs on her latest album. Beyond the brave concept, Posse features some first-rate material, including the honky-tonk stomp of “Big Wheel” and the bright, lush pop of “Bouncing Off Clouds.” And Amos is taking all of the girls on tour.

Kidjo reigns as world music’s greatest star, an African diva whose albums and videos have consistently set the highest standards. Previously, she’s collaborated with Dave Matthews and Cassandra Wilson and covered Hendrix and Gershwin. But on her eighth album Kidjo pulls out all the stops, teaming up with chums Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Alicia Keys and Joss Stone, with whom she belts out a beat-crazed version of “Gimme Shelter.” But the real highlight is her stunning acapella rendition of Ravel’s “Bolero.”

This Toronto garage pop power trio is fronted by Lucas Silveira, a transgendered male who sings with the passion and panache of Chrissie Hynde. Moe Berg, of the Pursuit of Happiness, was impressed enough by Silveira’s songwriting to produce this gritty, infectious debut. While the first track, “Complicated,” has already been featured on The L Word, tortured numbers like “Misery” and “Back in Style” and the group’s reggae-fied take on Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” are damn-fine Clik tracks not to be missed. Apr. 24

Is this Portland trio really the new Coldplay? Listening to Kevin Calaba’s dreamy voice and the group’s soaring songs, it’s easy to think so. The band’s “Movies of Antarctica” is a giddy slice of guitars and electronic programming that aims for arena-rock greatness. And Calaba’s and guitarist Jason Bell’s harmonies on “Arithmatik” are undeniably cool. But as emotionally rich as “With You” is, it never climaxes as powerfully as Coldplay’s “Fix You.” Ultimately, the new kids on the alt-pop block can’t quite win the foot race. Apr. 24

Gilberto’s father, Joao, is the godfather of Brazilian bossa nova, while her stepmother, Astrud, is the voice behind “The Girl from Ipanema.” Bebel stepped out of her family’s shadow with Tanto Tempo and its companion remix album, both tinged with electronica. Her self-titled sophomore album stuck closer to chill-out samba sounds. Here, working with producer Guy Sigsworth (Madonna, Björk) she goes for mid-tempo grooves like “Bring Back the Love,” a sensuous dance number featuring New York’s Brazilian Girls. Apr. 24

It must please Mitchell no end that nearly half of the songs by admirers here come from her often overlooked post-folk period. Björk, Elvis Costello and jazz pianist Brad Mehldau all tackle material from The Hissing of Summer Lawns, while Caetano Veloso brings his Brazilian vibe to “Dreamland” from Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter. Mind you, there are several songs drawn from Mitchell’s quintessential album Blue, including Prince’s stunning, falsetto-drenched version of “A Case of You,” which steals the show. Apr. 24