Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

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...

Shakira’s infectious World Cup anthem “Waka Waka” sold two million copies, while its video—a viral phenomenon with over 170 million YouTube hits—launched an international dance craze. The Colombian superstar is a true force of nature, renowned as much for her frenetic, hip-shaking moves as her high-energy, Latin-flavored recordings. Shakira’s latest is a bilingual affair, offering both English and Spanish versions of hot, impossible-to-resist meringue dance tracks like “Loca” and “Rabiosa.” Viva Shakira.

Fans can’t seem to get enough Bublé. The desire for more Michael has been answered with this deluxe reissue of the Canadian crooner’s Juno-winning album. The latest version includes the original 12 songs plus a second disc with four new songs and four live ones (also available separately). The best additions are Bublé’s live reading of the sexy “Me & Mrs. Jones” and his new take on celebrity culture, “Hollywood,” the video for which features an affectionate parody of fellow Canuck heartthrob Justin Bieber.

Few pop singers can navigate the fickle waves of stardom for more than a decade. Barbra Streisand has successfully sailed those stormy seas for more than half a century. The Brooklyn-born diva’s album People hit number one in 1964. She reached that lofty summit again in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. With last year’s Love is the Answer, her collaboration with Canadian jazz star Diana Krall, Streisand became the first and only artist to ever score number-one albums in five consecutive decades. A true renaissance woman—she’s an accomplished director and respected philanthropist and has won almost as many awards for acting as she has for singing, Streisand shows no signs of letting up. Earlier this y...

TV’s Glee and its chart-topping soundtrack albums have made geeky high-school show choirs impossibly cool. Gleeks everywhere will rejoice at this latest recording, an homage to the cult stage and screen musical, released just in time for Halloween and featuring Glee stars like Jayma Mays and Chris Colfer. But the highlight is “Damn It, Janet,” the campy duet sung by Cory Monteith and Lea Michele, the glee club’s romantic couple.

The album’s name and cover illustration of a thieving fox seem to indicate that Costello has a bone to pick with greedy wheeler dealers. While that message is certainly evident in the rocking title track, the versatile songsmith covers a lot of ground thematically and musically. “Jimmie Standing in the Rain,” rooted in traditional jazz, portrays a struggling singing cowboy in 1930s England, while the folky “Bullets for the Newborn King,” one of several sweet ballads on the album, deals with the regrets of a political assassin.

Rod Stewart is known for many things: his raspy voice, his rooster hairdo and his many supermodel girlfriends and wives. A rock-and-roll legend, he’s become famous in the past decade as a pop crooner. The Scottish-born singer’s transformation happened fortuitously, after being unceremoniously dumped by his longtime record label. Music mogul Clive Davis revived the rocker’s career, guessing that Stewart’s distinctive voice and old pop standards would make perfect dinner-party music. Davis was right: Stewart’s Great American Songbook series, including the albums It Had to Be You, As Time Goes By, Stardust and Thanks for the Memory, has become the best-selling series of new music recordings in ...

He made headlines for his drug bust, marriage breakup and departure from Canada’s favorite band. But the former Barenaked Ladies frontman has clearly turned over a new leaf. After scoring theatrical plays at Stratford and recording a collection of cover songs with a jazz and classical ensemble, Page is back with a strong collection of witty, melodic pop and an impressive commitment to songcraft. “No waiting limos, no cocaine and discos,” he sings, “I gave that all up for the chorus, girl.” Brave new beginnings.

Such is his omnipotence on guitar that fans used to proclaim “Clapton is God.” His searing solos with The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith and on his own recordings earned him a rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These days old Slowhand, as he’s known, is more modest and laidback, as befits a music legend and elder statesman. Clapton’s latest album, a relaxed collection of Irving Berlin, Fats Waller and Hoagy Carmichael songs, doesn’t even include single Clapton solo—just plenty of tasteful, vintage sounds.

Few rock musicians have shone as brightly as John Lennon. Before he was killed at the age of 40 in December 1980, the former Beatle was revered as a pop star, a songwriter and a peace advocate. Since his death, his fame has continued to grow, as new generations discover the man who instilled rock with both wit and a conscience. To mark what would have been his 70th birthday, Lennon’s record company is reissuing eight of his solo records, plus a greatest hits collection and a four-disc anthology. Available separately or packaged together with bonus material in the John Lennon Signature Box, they serve as a fitting tribute to the “Imagine” singer. Says his widow, Yoko Ono: “I hope this will he...