Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

The year was 1976 and arena rock was in its heyday. Paul McCartney, who had not performed in North America since the Beatles’ last tour a decade earlier, took his band Wings on the road in Canada and the United States. The concerts sparked scenes reminiscent of Beatlemania and the resulting live album, Wings Over America, became an instant bestseller. Now reissued as a two-CD set (an expanded deluxe edition also includes a bonus CD, DVD and several souvenir books), Wings Over America is McCartney at his post-Beatles best. Along with Fab Four favorites like “Yesterday” and “Lady Madonna,” he performs thrilling renditions of “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Live and Let Die” and “Band on the Run” that far...

She’s weathered a very public divorce. Now the remarried country star is brimming with confidence on new songs like “What Have I Done,” with singer Alison Krauss, and “Gasoline and Matches” with guitar hero Jeff Beck. Is her clever rebuke to wrongdoers, “God Takes Care of Your Kind,” about her ex-husband? Rimes is too classy to say.

The Ladies have soldiered on since the 2009 departure of Steven Page, with co-founder Ed Robertson carrying most of the freight. Here, Robertson supplies catchy examples of the band’s classic wordplay, including “Odds Are” and “Did I Say That Out Loud.” He also reflects darker emotions, especially on the deeply confessional “Boomerang.”

Lady A specializes in harmony-rich ballads with a country backbeat. It’s a formula that has won the Nashville darlings multiple Grammys—and is repeated here with sunny numbers like “Downtown.” The exception is “Ain’t it Pretty,” in which Hillary Scott sings movingly about the regret of an ill-conceived one night stand.

Chesney loves his Caribbean home, where he was briefly married to actress Renée Zellweger. Island-themed songs have long been a part of the country star’s music. Here, Chesney teams up with Willie Nelson on the swaying “Coconut Tree” and enlists Bob Marley’s Wailers to bring feelgood reggae vibes to “Spread the Love.”

The hit TV series has won fans for its great songs as much as the cast. The second soundtrack disc features strong numbers from stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere. But it’s the duets from Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen (“Fade into You”) and Canadian sisters Lennon and Maisy Stella (“Ho Hey”) that really steal the show.

Rod Stewart’s been on a commercial roll singing pop standards of the American Songbook series. When it came to writing his own songs, his well had run dry. But now the floodgates have opened, which Stewart attributes to his recent autobiography. “Something about that process of reviewing my life for the book reconnected me,” says the music legend. “Suddenly ideas for lyrics were piling up in my head.” Time, a collection of 11 original songs and one cover, marks his creative renaissance. The album kicks off with the joyous “She Makes Me Happy,” a nod to Stewart’s romantic revival with his third wife, Penny Lancaster. There are ballads about divorce (“It’s Over”) and affection for his children...

Fans expect surprises from the Dixie Chicks’ lead singer. In 2002, Maines knocked fellow country musician Toby Keith’s song “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue” as jingoistic and then criticized U.S. president George W. Bush over the Iraq invasion. Recently, the mother of two helped to free the wrongfully accused Memphis Three. Now Maines has made a solo debut that is more rock than country. Co-produced with Grammy-winning artist Ben Harper, the 10 songs are surprisingly edgy. “Free Life” and the title track, a Pink Floyd ballad, are connected to the Memphis Three case. And covers of Eddie Vedder’s “Without You” and Jeff Buckley’s “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” are emotionally rich. But...

When not starring in TV’s New Girl, Zooey Deschanel sings in this pop duo with M. Ward. The pair’s latest is a summery affair, full of sun-kissed originals like “I Could’ve Been Your Girl” and the ukulele-tickled “Turn to White” and the sweet cover of Blondie’s new wave nugget “Sunday Girl.”

She took time off to start a family, but Dido, the acclaimed British singer with the willowy vocals, is back with a dreamy slice of electronica. Collaborations with rapper Kendrick Lamar on “Let Us Move On” and ambient guru Brian Eno on “Day Before We Went to War” signal Dido’s brave new directions.