Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Rihanna is one of pop’s most precocious stars. The Barbadian-born singer got her big break when she was just 16, auditioning for a record producer who was vacationing on her native island. Rihanna performed the Destiny’s Child song “Emotion” and quickly landed herself a record deal. Her debut album, Music of the Sun, featuring the dancehall hit single “Pon de Replay,” immediately had critics comparing her to Beyoncé, but with a deeper voice and a Caribbean accent. Rihanna’s star has risen higher with each successive album. A Girl Like Me featured the club hit “SOS,” while Good Girl Gone Bad dominated the airwaves in 2007 with “Don’t Stop the Music” and the ubiquitous “Umbrella,” featuring ra...

Pink has been flying high for a while now—and we’re not just talking about her show-stopping trapeze act. Always fun-loving, provocative and eclectic, the “Get the Party Started” girl demonstrates her wide-ranging style on this 19-track compilation. It covers all of the singer’s biggest hits, including “Who Knew,” “So What” and the Paris Hilton-deriding “Stupid Girls.” For fans, it also features two new songs: the empathetic “F***kin’ Perfect” and the toast-worthy “Raise a Glass,” yet another Pink party anthem.

Has it really been a decade since Furtado’s “I’m Like a Bird”? This collection shows how far the Canadian songstress has come, from her Grammy-winning pop debut Whoa, Nelly and its sultry worldbeat followup Folklore to her chart-topping smash Loose and the all-Spanish Mi Plan. Never afraid to showcase her Portuguese heritage, Furtado remains one of pop’s true trailblazers, mixing Latin influences like fado and bossa nova. Includes such catchy new songs as the folky “Stars” and the darker pop of “Girlfriend in the City.”

Fame—especially the explosive kind that Norah Jones experienced—can be daunting. Jones’ gentle, jazz-tinged album Come Away With Me sold a staggering 20 million copies in 2002 and swept the Grammys, earning five major awards. The young singer-pianist, who had never previously tasted commercial success, became an instant global superstar at 22. Now 31, the diminutive artist has gone on to release three other albums and appear in several movies. Yet she remains surprisingly unchanged. “I don’t do confessions,” Jones, the daughter of Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar, once explained. “That’s the reason I can still walk the streets without disguise. I don’t have to do my make-up or hair before I ...

He’s best known for writing classics like “Sweet Caroline” and “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” featured in the movie Pulp Fiction. But, here, the Grammy-winning artist showcases his ability to interpret others’ songs, including a fiddle-fueled version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” an emotional reading of the Eagles’ “Desperado” and a solemn take on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Most surprising is his heartfelt rendition of his own “I’m a Believer,” which sounds nothing like the bubblegum hit version by the Monkees.

Sir Paul’s most celebrated post-Beatles work is the latest album to get the lavish reissue treatment. Available now as a single, remastered CD, featuring fan favorites like the soaring “Jet,” the slow-burning “Let Me Roll It” and the sweeping epic title track, or special and deluxe edition formats that include audio and DVD bonus material, the reissue reminds us how much the landmark album, recorded in Lagos, Nigeria, was a triumph over adversity—including the knifepoint mugging of Paul and wife Linda.

Taylor Swift’s ascent into pop’s stratosphere has been as fast as her name suggests. Inspired by Shania Twain, Swift was just 16 when she released her 2006 self-titled debut album, a diary-like collection of songs written during her first year of high school. It shot to the top of the charts and sold four million copies. Her followup, 2008’s Fearless, did even better and won a Grammy for Album of the Year, making Swift the youngest person ever to win the coveted award. Now, with her sparkling third album, the Nashville-based singer-songwriter’s domination continues: Speak Now debuted at number one and sold a million copies in its first week. A more mature take on love and heartbreak, the alb...

This collection of songs by the Band, chosen by the legendary group’s organist and performed with Bruce Cockburn, Blue Rodeo and others, benefits the Hospital for Sick Children and offers rich rewards for the lucky listener. Chantal Kreviazuk turns in a bluesy interpretation of “Tears of Rage,” while husband Raine Maida sings a soulful version of “The Moon Struck One.” But the highlight is the inspired pairing of Neil Young and the Sadies for an incendiary take on the classic “This Wheel’s on Fire.”

Marital bliss doesn’t often inspire great music. But this Australian country-pop crooner is proving that happiness on the home front can lead to memorable music. Married to actress Nicole Kidman, with whom he has a daughter, Urban sings with genuine joy and gratitude on his latest. Several songs, including “All for You” and “Right On Back to You,” are written specifically about his wife, while “Without You” includes the touching lyric “along comes a baby girl and suddenly my little world just got a whole lot bigger.”

Sir Elton John was not yet a star—or a knight—when he played a week-long stint in 1970 at the Troubadour club in West Hollywood. Sitting in the audience one night, with his long silver hair and glasses, was Leon Russell, an American singer-pianist whose star was already rising, having written major hits for Joe Cocker and The Carpenters. John later met Russell and they toured together, a great thrill for the English musician, who regarded his American counterpart as a musical idol. As fate would have it, the Rocket Man’s career soared, while Russell’s crash landed. Now Elton is injecting some jet fuel into his hero’s career, by collaborating with him on The Union. John hopes the recording, w...