Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

From Cream to the Travelling Wilburys, supergroups are nothing new. But SuperHeavy, Mick Jagger’s side project with Joss Stone and Dave Stewart, of Eurythmics fame, is worlds away from Crosby, Stills Nash & Young. Rounded out by Bob Marley’s son Damian and Bollywood’s A.R. Rahman, the group sounds like a hip United Nations soundtrack. Clearly, they’re having fun: the video for reggae track “Miracle Worker” features Jagger as a neon-pink-suited witch doctor promising “love and laser” cures.

Barbra Streisand has recorded so many hits in her legendary career that it’s hard to single out just one as her signature song. But “The Way We Were, from the film of the same name in which she co-starred with Robert Redford, comes pretty close to being definitive. Written by the Alan and Marilyn Bergman, it reached number one in 1974 and sold more than a million copies. Over the years, Streisand has sung more than 50 songs by the husband-and-wife team, whose work has received numerous awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and two Grammys for “The Way We Were.” Now she is paying tribute to the Bergmans with What Matters Most. Says Streisand, of the songwriters: “Alan and Marilyn Bergman...

Kravitz’s ninth studio album reflects on growing up in a mixed-race family—his mother was The Jeffersons actress Roxie Roker, while his father was TV producer Sy Kravitz. The CD’s 16 songs follow Kravitz’s usual mix of rock and funk, from the Aerosmith-like “Come and Get It” to the James Brown-inspired “Life Ain’t Ever Been Better Than It Is Now.” He also teams up with A-list rappers Jay-Z and Drake, on “Boongie Drop” and “Sunflower” respectively, proving that the veteran “Fly Away” singer is still flying high.

Anyone who grew up with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will love this tribute album to Muppets music. Featuring indie artists like OK Go and My Morning Jacket, the collection captures all the sweet optimism of the adorable puppets. Sondre Lerche tackles the thumping “Mr. Bassman,” while the Fray delivers the gobbledygook classic “Mahna Mahna. But the real highlights are “Rainbow Connection” (Weezer and Hayley Williams) and “Bein’ Green” (Andrew Bird), songs made famous by the inimitable Kermit himself.

Hip-hop has its heroes, none bigger than Jay-Z and Kanye West. They are among the biggest stars in pop music, with critically acclaimed, Grammy-winning albums that consistently top the charts. Jay-Z’s been around longer, having made his debut in 1996 with Reasonable Doubt, an album that dealt frankly with his childhood life on the streets of New York dealing drugs. By contrast Kanye, a onetime Chicago State University student who earned recognition producing Jay-Z’s albums, didn’t release his own debut, The College Dropout, until 2004. Both rappers have signature styles: Jay-Z boasts stunning lyrical dexterity, while Kanye draws inspiration from eclectic sources. Jay-Z’s marriage to r&b quee...

Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland have much in common. Both have served time in Sarah McLachlan’s band and pursued solo careers as singer-songwriters. They married in 2006 and have now tied the musical knot in Whitehorse. There’s genuine passion on the duo’s debut, in the sparkling harmonies of “Emerald Isle” and the bluesy riffs of “Killing Time is Murder.” The couple’s intimacy shines covering Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire,” on which McClelland’s sublime vocals and Doucet’s twanging guitar burn bright.

Life on her Texas ranch with bull-riding champion husband Ty Murray is good, judging from the happy vibes here. Written with their baby son, Kase, in mind, Jewel’s latest CD features family-friendly originals like the swinging “Supermarket Song” and the Spanish-tinged “Bucky the Bull.” But the former Alaskan folkie also has a knack for such country-fied classics as “Oh Susanna” and “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain.” Jewel even channels Julie Andrews on the Mary Poppins classic “My Favorite Things.”

Kelly Rowland first rose to stardom as a member of Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling groups of all time. Although she found herself in the shadow of Beyoncé, Rowland was the first in the group to release a solo album. Her 2002 debut, the r&b and rock-influenced Simply Deep, sold well, while “Dilemma,” her duet with rapper Nelly, topped the charts and made her a household name. She also won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. It seemed for a brief moment that Kelly’s fame might even eclipse Beyoncé’s. But then two things happened: Beyoncé’s star went supernova with her debut, Dangerously in Love, and sales of Rowland’s next album, Ms. Kelly, tanked. Her fortunes improved wh...

“Weird Al” has enjoyed a lengthy career—longer than some of the pop stars he parodies—with his zany brand of humor. Yankovic’s 13th album has plenty of satirical highlights, including Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” (“Perform This Way”) and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong to Me” (“TMZ”). He hits the funny bone mimicking the classic-rock sounds of the Doors on “Craigslist” and Queen on “Ringtone.” And his accordion-medley “Polka Face,” covering Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and others, is pure genius.

He won an Oscar playing on-the-skids country singer Bad Blake, so it’s no surprise that Jeff should try his hand at recording. Working with his Crazy Heart collaborators, including producer T-Bone Burnett, the actor’s debut album features heart-on-the-sleeve country numbers by some of Nashville’s top songwriters. The best of them are “Nothing Yet” and “Everything But Love.” But Bridges’ own songs, especially the folky confessional “Falling Short,” are solid additions that prove that he’s no musical flash in the pan.