Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Nicole Scherzinger has always turned heads. When burlesque act the Pussycat Dolls was being recast as an r&b-style pop group, the cappuccino-colored beauty was chosen as its lead singer. Scherzinger personified the Pussycat image, purring sexy lines and performing suggestive dance routines in lingerie. The group’s albums sold six million copies and she was in demand as a duet partner for male artists like Shaggy and Will Smith. Scherzinger began working on her own album shortly after the release of the Dolls’ debut. Several singles emerged, but the appearance of the second Pussycat disc, Doll Domination, derailed the album. Earlier this year, Killer Love finally came out in Europe. Originall...

The former half of Eurythmics is having a busy year. He’s produced albums for Stevie Nicks and Joss Stone and next month unleashes SuperHeavy, his new band with Mick Jagger. Firing on all cylinders, Stewart wrote and recorded his new solo album in Nashville in just five days. Featuring duets with Colbie Caillat (“Bulletproof Vest”) and Stevie (the gorgeous “Cheaper Than Free”), its spirited blues-country feel owes much to Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, with whom Stewart co-wrote the lovelorn “Worth the Waiting For.”

Arcade Fire’s Album of the Year win at this year’s Grammys had Rosie O’Donnell and others tweeting that they’d never heard of them. But the Montreal indie band has won many new converts since, including Rosie, so this re-released version of its epic album is timely. It features two new songs, “Culture War” and “Speaking in Tongues,” featuring Talking Heads’ David Byrne, an 80-page booklet and a 30-minute film by Spike Jonze that was inspired by the album’s provocative, bittersweet view of suburban childhood.

She is undisputed music royalty and one of the most influential voices in history. Without Aretha, there would be no Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston, to whom she is godmother. A winner of 18 Grammy Awards and the first female artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she bridged the racial divide with hits like “Respect,” and “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves.” An inspirational figure, Aretha is pop’s answer to Oprah. Fittingly, Barack Obama asked her to sing at his 2009 presidential inauguration. Franklin’s career will become the subject of a biopic, based on her memoir, Aretha: From These Roots. In the meantime, the legendary singer is celebrating her 50th anniver...

When Carlton burst on to the scene in 2002, she was hailed as a new piano-pop princess. Sadly, the Pennsylvania native was unable to match the success of her million-selling debut, Be Not Nobody, and changed record labels several times. But Carlton’s fourth album, recorded in the seclusion of Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, England, sounds like an artistic rebirth. Inspired by Richard Adams’ fantasy novel, Watership Down, it features confident and dreamy story-songs like “Carousel” and “Hear the Bells.”

It used to be easy to dismiss Caillat’s cheerful music as lightweight, Disney-friendly fare. That’s no longer the case. Her third album adds surprising depth to her sound, especially on “Favorite Song,” an unlikely duet with actor-rapper Common, and the speculative love of “What If,” also featured in the movie Letters to Juliet. Still, the album’s best songs are sunny, breezy pop nuggets like the finger-popping “I Do” and the handclapping “Brighter Than the Sun,” both inspired by Caillat’s new romance with band member Justin Young.

Joss Stone has already experienced a lifetime’s worth of fame. The British diva’s star has risen quickly ever since winning a BBC talent contest at the age of 13. Blessed with a soulful voice that led to her being called “the white Aretha Franklin,” Joss became a global sensation with the 2003 release of her debut album, The Soul Sessions. Hit singles, multimillion album sales, Brit Awards and a Grammy followed. Soon she was sharing stages with legends like Smokey Robinson and Sir Tom Jones and starring in TV’s The Tudors. Now 24, Stone—who counts U.S. President Barack Obama as a fan and Prince William as a friend (she was a guest at the Royal Wedding)—is embarking on a new chapter in her st...

Originally issued in 1986, the fourth album by R.E.M. proved a turning point for the college-rock heroes from Athens, Georgia. Producer Don Gehman (John Mellencamp) coaxed vocalist Michael Stipe to sing more clearly, resulting in the band’s commercial breakthrough. The 25th anniversary edition of this seminal recording will thrill R.E.M. fans. Along with environmentally-themed songs like “Fall on Me” and “Cuyahoga” and the harmony-rich hit “Superman,” a second disc offers rare demos and unreleased tracks.

Those looking for clues about his breakup with actress Susan Sarandon will be disappointed. But fans of evocative country-blues ballads will enjoy the debut album by this Oscar-winning actor and director. Robbins sings about a female prophet in “The Book of Josie” and offers Celtic-tinged romance in “You’re My Dare.” Not surprisingly, given Robbins’ activism, his most passionate songs are political in nature: “Lightning Calls,” about meeting Nelson Mandela, and “Tim to Kill,” about a young Iraq war veteran’s tragic tale.

She’s long been one of pop’s top triple threats: a Grammy-winning singer, Golden Globe-actress and a fashion icon with her own clothing line. A performer since the age of seven, Beyoncé is one of the world’s best-selling music artists. Together with her husband, rapper Jay-Z, whom she married in 2008, they are Hollywood’s top-earning couple, according to Forbes magazine. But beyond those achievements, Beyoncé is a powerful role model for young women. Her third studio album, I Am…Sasha Fierce, expressed a strong message of female empowerment, especially on the hit singles “If I Were a Boy” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” Now Beyoncé, who parted ways with her father and longtime manage...