Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Few artists have been as provocative as Sinéad O’Connor. The Irish singer will forever be remembered for the outrage she caused in 1992, when she used her appearance on TV’s Saturday Night Live to criticize sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. Singing an acapella version of Bob Marley’s “War,” she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while singing the word “evil” and urging viewers to “fight the real enemy.” The backlash was swift and severe. Madonna publicly criticized her, while crowds roundly booed her when she performed at Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary tribute concert. O’Connor would be easy to dismiss if she wasn’t so fiercely outspoken or as musically gifted. Throughout her career...

She’s a tireless philanthropist, promoting education for girls in Africa through her foundation, Batonga, and acting as UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador. Onstage, she’s even more energetic, delivering consistently explosive performances that leave audiences breathless. This live recording, taped to coincide with her PBS-TV special, captures the African pop diva’s uplifting power, with joyous originals and covers featuring guests Josh Groban, Dianne Reeves, Branford Marsalis and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig.

Led by Paddy Moloney, the Chieftains have been making traditional Irish music popular since 1962. To celebrate its 50th anniversary—and to prove that old jigs, reels and ballads can still be cool—the veteran group has teamed up with some of the biggest names in indie rock. Bon Iver joins them on the tender “Down in the Willow Garden,” while the Decemberists get on board with Bob Dylan’s “When the Ship Comes In.” Sweetest of all is the Secret Sisters’ loving vocal rendition of the Nova Scotian nugget “Peggy Gordon.”

She is forever remembered as the face of swinging Sixties London, when her large eyes, long eyelashes and short hair made her a teenage modeling sensation. The thin-framed Twiggy—she earned the nickname for her skinny, twig-like legs—became the Vogue cover girl who personified mini-skirts and Carnaby Street fashions. Born Lesley Hornby, she made the transition from runway model to stage and screen actress in the ’70s, appearing in the Broadway musical My One & Only and Ken Russell’s film The Boyfriend, which earned her two Golden Globe Awards.             Twiggy has also enjoyed a singing career, releasing numerous albums and scoring...

The former Beatle has long been inspired by the music of his parents’ generation—think of songs like “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Your Mother Should Know.” An homage to songs of the 1930s and ’40s, McCartney’s 15th solo album includes his loving covers of classics like “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” both featuring piano solos by Diana Krall. Two of McCartney’s originals are steeped in that era: “Only Our Hearts,” with guest Stevie Wonder, and the fine “My Valentine,” featuring Eric Clapton.

To mark the 50 years since he joined the Beatles, Ringo has released a sweetly nostalgic tribute to his early musical roots, including skiffle (“Rock Island Line”) and Buddy Holly (“Think It Over”). The album, featuring guests from the Eagles (Joe Walsh), the Heartbreakers (Benmont Tench) and Eurythmics (Dave Stewart), boasts one touching highlight: Ringo’s autobiographical “In Liverpool,” in which he sings “Me and the band/living our fantasies/breaking the rules, acting like fools/that’s how it was for me.”

Led by Isaac Slade, Denver-based pop-rockers the Fray are still best known for feel-good numbers like “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and the ballad “How to Save a Life,” which became a staple of TV’s Grey’s Anatomy. Having an earnest frontman who sings and plays piano caused the group to be called America’s answer to Coldplay. But the Fray clearly has arena-rock ambitions of its own. Last year, the band opened for U2. Then it teamed up with Brendan O’Brien, who’s produced albums for Bruce Springsteen, one of the Fray’s heroes. “Those guys are just masters of the stadium,” says Slade, “and I wanted to figure out how to create that same kind of energy.” He succeeded: the Fray’s third CD, Scars and...

An internet sensation shrouded in mystery, this self-styled Hollywood femme fatale arrived weighed down by the publicity. Born Elizabeth Grant, the 25-year-old singer couldn’t live up to the hype when she delivered a widely ridiculed performance on TV’s Saturday Night Live. But her debut album, a dark collection of lush pop confections, is definitely worth checking out. Channeling Nancy Sinatra and David Lynch’s eerie Twin Peaks soundtrack, the undeniably glamorous Del Rey conveys a convincing tragic beauty.

Discovered by Norah Jones, Lee made his mark with a soul-folk sound that drew comparisons to James Taylor and Bill Withers. But the Philadelphia native has found a new muse in Joey Burns, of dreamy indie-rockers Calexico, who produced Lee’s fine Mission Bell album. This six-song CD continues the collaboration, with standout tracks like the country-tinged “May I Remind You” and “The Darkness.” Most inspired is the shuffling, harmony-infused “Say Goodbye,” which may give Lee the hit he deserves.

Country music loves real stories about real people. It celebrates tales of hard-luck failure and hard-won success, and embraces performers who unabashedly wear their hearts on their sleeves. Martina McBride has risen to the top of country music because she sings openly about her marriage, her daughters and such tough topics as cancer, child abuse and domestic violence. To date, the Kansas native has sold over 14 million albums with her knack for belting out soaring, heart-tugging ballads, a talent that’s led to her being called “the Céline Dion of country music.”             McBride’s story is rich in family details. She grew up singing ...