Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

America’s most celebrated singer-songwriter confused fans when he released Self Portrait in 1970. With its folk tunes and pop covers, it wasn’t what people expected. Which was apparently the point: Dylan wanted to shake off his “messiah” image. Critics hated the album, which had been overdubbed with horns, strings and female voices. But the newly released box set Another Self Portrait strips away those sweeteners and adds 35 rarities and unreleased recordings to shed new light on the album. Featuring demos, outtakes and live recordings, it reveals that Dylan was celebrating American music. Traditional songs like “Pretty Saro” are some of his sweetest performances, while the moonshiner’s tale...

Goulding’s on a roll. The English singer’s debut album, Lights, introduced her as a passionate songstress whose music blends folk with electronica—and led to an invitation to sing at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. Goulding’s second album, Halcyon, drew raves and landed the poetic soprano a spot on Bruno Mars’ North American tour. Now the talented 26-year-old has released an expanded edition of her sophomore album that should win her even more fans. New songs like the folky “Hearts Without Chains,” a breathy piano ballad that echoes early Kate Bush, and the unabashedly romantic “How Long Will I Love You,” are indisputably strong. But the freshest new sounds are “Goodness Graciou...

A true renaissance man—musician, actor, activist and philanthropist, Sting has been aging gracefully with his many varied projects. The former Police frontman’s latest undertaking may be his most ambitious to date. A collection of dramatic songs about the demise of the shipbuilding industry during the 1980s in Sting’s English seaside birthplace near Newcastle, The Last Ship is full of colorful characters, Geordie dialects and themes about love, fatherhood and workers’ struggles. Guests like AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, actor-musician Jimmy Nail and folk group the Unthanks join the Grammy-winning artist on a series of ballads and shanties like “Shipyard” and “So to Speak.” Not surprisingly, a relat...

Monáe may be pop’s most fashionable innovator. The Kansas City native, recently chosen as the new face of CoverGirl, has been turning heads ever since releasing her debut album, The ArchAndroid, in 2010. A collection of psychedelic soul with a sci-fi twist, it featured both her android alter-ego Cindi Mayweather and her Grammy-nominated r&b hit “Tightrope.” With Monáe’s fondness for tuxedos, bowties and a distinctive pompadour, she was also seen in an eye-catching cameo for fun.’s video “We Are Young.” Now the 27-year-old beauty has released a dazzling followup, another concept album that continues her cyborg thematic storyline. With guests ranging from Prince and Erykah Badu to Beyonce’...

Elton’s on a creative roll. After the success of his last album, the T-Bone Burnett-produced The Union, on which Elton collaborated with his hero Leon Russell, the Rocket Man has another winner. Also produced by T-Bone, The Diving Board finds Elton diving back into a stripped-down roots sound. “It’s got everything I love about American music,” he says, “gospel, soul country. It’s the most piano-orientated record I’ve ever made (and) the most adult record I can make at my age.” Now 66, Elton has rarely been so inspired, as he deals with themes of aging, mortality and memory. “Home Again” is a backward-glancing ballad full of yearning, while “Take This Dirty Water” is a rocking gospel about ro...

It’s been quite a year for JT: his triumphant performance at the Grammys, critical acclaim for The 20/20 Experience and the ecstatic reception for him and the rest of ’NSync at the Video Music Awards. “It’s been a wild ride,” the SexyBack singer admits, but adds that “we’re not done yet—not even close.” With the release of part two of The 20/20 Experience, an album he describes as its predecessor’s “hotter, older evil twin sister,” the wild ride continues. Fans will already be familiar with “Take Back the Night,” the album’s swaggering first single. Like “Night,” the album’s other 10 songs are horn-driven, funk-filled numbers. His pal Jay Z helps out on the dark “Murder,” while Canadian rap ...

Casual fans of House may be aware that the Hugh is also a musician, having seen his character Dr. Gregory House play piano in a few episodes of the popular TV show. Hardcore devotees will know that the English actor released a fine debut recording, 2011’s Let Them Talk, his tribute to the music of New Orleans. Now he’s moving further afield. “I have resolved to forge on deeper into the forest of American music that has enchanted me since I was a small boy,” says Laurie, in his erudite way. Didn’t It Rain features blues, jazz and even a sultry, tango-flavored number. Fans will love Laurie’s boogie-style piano playing on W.C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues,” and his swinging vocalizing on Dr. John’s...

A child of Hollywood, Carly Ritter’s a late bloomer. The 31-year-old daughter of the late comic actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan has just released her debut album. Steeped in a sunny, folk-rock sound that cries out California, it features winsome vocals, memorable songs like the sweetly melancholic “It Don’t Come Easy” and the poignant “Save Your Love” and contributions from the wife-husband team of Juliette Commagere and Joachim Cooder, Ritter's old schoolmates. Joachim’s famous father, Ry Cooder, also provides guitar accompaniment. Says Ritter: “I couldn’t have come across kinder and more supportive people than Joachim and Juliette and their families.” As if that wasn’t enough, R...

His romantic life has sometimes overshadowed his music career. The singer-guitarist, a seven-time Grammy winner who has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, has famously dated stars like Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Anniston and Taylor Swift. Lately, he seems to have settled down, buying a home in the Montana countryside and rekindling his love with Katy Perry. That happy state of affairs is confirmed by John Mayer’s new album. There’s a laidback feel to songs like “Wildlife,” with John suggesting “put your feet up next to mine/you and me been catching on like wildfire.” Named for the peaceful valley where he now resides, the album exudes all the back-porch intimacy and mellowness of a bucoli...

Hailing from rural Tennessee, it’s no surprise that this model-gorgeous hipster has one foot squarely stuck in acoustic country-gospel and the other firmly planted in electric indie-blues. The banjo-picking and guitar-playing singer grew up with her four siblings in a cinder-block garage “on a dirt-road between Jackson and Humboldt,” where she was exposed to gospel music at the local church and to soul and r&b through her father. “My heart is fully immersed in studying roots music and southern culture,” explains Valerie, “but I’m a songwriter first and foremost and can write a song in almost any genre.” That versatility shines through on her debut album, Pushin’ Against a Stone, a cool c...