Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Few cases have galvanized Hollywood and the music community more than the story of three teenage boys wrongfully convicted for the murder of three Cub Scouts. The Memphis Three’s release, following 18 years of imprisonment, came after fundraising efforts by director Peter Jackson, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Dixie Chick Natalie Maines. Says actor Johnny Depp, another supporter: “I was instantly struck by how heinous a crime [it was], but also the wave of injustice that followed it.” The soundtrack to a documentary about the case captures the passion of those voices and includes Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and Johnny’s band Tonto’s Giant Nuts delivering a dark version of Mumford & Sons’ ...

The Ivory Queen of Soul recorded one final album before her death in 2010. Completed by daughter, this posthumous release will cement the singer’s status as an r&b great. Along with covers of Curtis Mayfield’s “Give Me Your Love,” it includes the passionate “Luv Letter,” which pays tribute to Lady T’s Motown roots.

Roll over Beethoven. Classical cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser are shaking up the pop world. Sir Elton John’s a major fan and sings with them here on a spirited Fleetwood Mac cover. Other highlights include AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” featuring legendary guitarist Steve Vai, and Coldplay’s “Clocks,” with acclaimed concert pianist Lang Lang.

When TV’s Girls debuted last year, its creator insisted that although her series also dealt with New York women, it wasn’t another Gossip Girl or Sex and the City. “Gossip Girl was teens duking it out on the Upper East Side and Sex and the City was women who figured out work and friends and now want to nail family life,” said Lena Dunham, also a star of the series. “There was this whole in between space that hasn’t really been addressed.” Focusing on the lives of four women in their early 20s, Girls became a runaway hit. Its soundtrack is equally refreshing, offering infectious indie-rock from Fleet Foxes, melodic pop from Fun and retro-cool from Canada’s Tegan & Sara, who cover the Roll...

The Jack Kerouac novel’s movie adaptation, starring Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart, captures the story’s beatnik spirit with a cool soundtrack of late-’40s jazz and blues. Along with songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker, the collection includes Slim Gaillard’s finger-snapping classic “Hit That Jive Jack.”

Director Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up spin off features an eclectic mix of songs old (Paul McCartney’s quirky “Lunch Box/Odd Sox” and Yoko Ono’s whimsical “Yes, I’m Your Angel”) and new (Norah Jones’ “Always Judging” and Fiona Apple’s provocative “Dull Tool”). Also included is Paul Simon’s poignant “Rewrite,” the perfect ode to a midlife crisis.

Bruno Mars dazzled the pop world with his smooth vocal delivery on “Just the Way You Are,” from his 2010 debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. The Honolulu-born singer won a Grammy Award for the song, which went on to sell 12.5 million copies worldwide. Now the 27-year-old star is set to surprise with his sophomore album, which he calls a “soulful, experimental, electronic, hard-to-explain thing. Living up to its name, Unorthodox Jukebox is a freewheeling ride through a myriad of styles. Working with producers Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse) and Diplo (M.I.A., Beyoncé), Bruno channels the Police on the deliciously retro “Locked Out of Heaven,” delivers a boisterous club anthem “Money Make Her Sm...

One of the best new shows on television, Nashville is set in the country music capital about musicians struggling to make it or stay afloat in the industry. Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) stars as Rayna James, an aging superstar competing with younger, sexier Juliette Barnes, played by Hayden Panettiere. The actors can really sing and the songs, woven seamlessly into each episode, have an appealing authenticity. Produced by Grammy and Oscar winner T-Bone Burnett, Nashville’s soundtrack offers fans a tasty, twangy souvenir. Some of the best tunes are those by Elvis Costello and the Civil Wars’ John Paul White, whose “No One Will Ever Love You” provides a bittersweet duet for Connie Brit...

A former model, this mezzo-soprano could be a starring in movies. Instead, the Welsh singer is opera’s brightest crossover artist, covering pop songs as well as hymns and arias. Here, her voice graces favorites from Evita, The Bodyguard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves—making her a film star of a different kind.

The movie adaptation of the enduring musical is one of the holiday season’s most anticipated treats. Its soundtrack—due out Dec. 25—is the proverbial icing on the Christmas cake, with star Anne Hathaway delivering a stirring “I Dreamed a Dream” and Hugh Jackman tackling “Suddenly,” written especially for the film.