Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

The title fits: Gray stands nearly six foot tall in her stocking feet. But it could just as easily apply to what’s in store for the funky single mama. Gray’s latest gets songwriting and production assists from Justin Timberlake and Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, while the Peas’ Fergie joins her on “Glad You’re Here” and Natalie Cole lends her pipes to “Finally Made Me Happy,” one of several kiss-off songs to Gray’s ex-husband. Make no mistake, the towering soul diva with the Betty Boop voice is back—with a vengeance. Mar. 27

The dude from Down Under is back with his latest collection of jam-rock stoner epics. A dazzling, earth-hugging guitarist, Butler has toned down the politics this time around in favor of a more infectious groove. Songs like the hot banjo workout “Better Than,” the horny “Daniella” and the hyperactive “Funky Tonight” are indicative of his new agenda. At times, he tries a little too hard: “Groovin’ Slowly” is embarrassingly bad white-boy reggae. But mostly Butler, the dreadlocked wizard of Oz, manages to keep it pretty real. Mar. 27   

Forget the group’s name, this 29-member outfit actually hails from Jönköping and, along with Peter, Bjorn & John, is currently Sweden’s hottest pop export. Led by Emanuel Lundgren, the impossibly big band is comprised of web designers, nursery school teachers and music store assistants—Lundgren’s friends. Together, they sing joyous songs about treehouses and stamp collecting that can brighten the darkest of days. “We’ll aim for your hearts,” goes the chorus of “We’re from Barcelona.” It’s no empty promise. Mar. 27

She was sweet 16, from the English countryside, when she debuted in 2003 with a stunning voice that sounded African-American and mature well beyond her years. Still a teenager (she turns 20 this April), Stone proves that she’s here to stay. Her third album, produced by Raphael Saadiq, is a mix of original funk and Motown-style pop songs featuring duets with Lauryn Hill on “Music” and rapper Common on the mellifluous “Tell Me What We’re Gonna Do Now.” Fun, rich and tasty, it’s a Stone soul picnic. Mar. 20

Although Ziggy, being the eldest child, was thought to be the heir apparent to the reggae king, he’s been eclipsed by the arrival of Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, who released 2005’s breakthrough Welcome to Jamrock. Now along comes Stephen, who sang with Ziggy in the Melody Makers and produced Damian’s Jamrock, to assert his claim to the throne. Stephen’s debut album, featuring brothers Damian and Julian and guests Ben Harper and Mos Def, is an infectious blend of hip-hop, r&b and roots reggae. Crucial. Mar. 20    

There’s a quiet riot going on—and it’s not heavy metal. It’s the resurgence of American folk music, seen in the popularity of Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom and in Bruce Springsteen tackling ditties like “Froggie Went a-Courting” on The Seeger Sessions. Cooder, ever the musicologist, goes one better, producing an entire album of animal-themed folk songs about a feline named Buddy Red Cat and recruiting banjo legends Mike and Pete Seeger and other guests to join him. It’s a hootenanny and it’s heating up. Mar. 13

Elkas earned his performance stripes fronting Montreal indie rockers Local Rabbits, before winning serious songwriter cred with his solo debut, Party of One, a collection of sensitive pop that drew comparisons to Ron Sexsmith. Elkas’ excellent sophomore effort, produced by Charlie Sexton, also hints at Sexsmith’s influence. But songs like the soulful title track, with its slow burn and sweet falsetto, is reminiscent of Bill Withers, while the tender, slinky “Something Beaming” suggests Jesse Winchester. Folky, funky, r&b bliss. Mar. 13

They used to be known as Rainbow Butt Monkeys, but then the dudes from Burlington, Ont. came to their senses. Or maybe not. Anyway, Finger Eleven could care less ever since its ballad “One Thing” became such a monster hit. The alt-rock band’s fourth album offers more of the same, predictably shifting, hard-soft dynamics on songs like “Lost My Way” and “Easy Life.” And the monotonous thump of “Paralyzer” threatens to make that track as ubiquitous (and irritating) on the airwaves as “One Thing.” Pity. Mar. 13    

Roxy Music’s elegant clotheshorse has always had his nostalgic side, tripping down Tin Pan Alley to tackle Gershwin and others on 1999’s As Time Goes By. Ferry’s also done Dylan before, but goes hog wild here with an entire album of Bobsongs. Some are bad choices, including the overdone “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and Ferry’s rocking rendition of “The Times They Are A-Changin.’” But “Positively 4th Street” gets some cool string embellishments and Brian Eno works his sonic magic on “If Not for You.”    

Favorites of filmmaker Sophia Coppola, the French electronica duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel scored The Virgin Suicides and contributed to Lost in Translation. Clearly influenced by the latter’s Tokyo setting, Air sounds like it’s turning Japanese on the group’s latest album. Apart from “Mer du Japon,” an ocean-swept homage to the land of the midnight sun, oriental instruments like the koto and the shamisen appear on such tracks as “One Hell of a Party,” overshadowing even Jarvis Cocker’s hung-over vocals. Mar. 6