Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

The latest contestant in the r&b queen sweepstakes, Maria has more going for her than most pretenders to the throne. On her debut, the Danish-born singer served as executive producer and co-wrote all the songs. And while her sultry voice puts her in league with Brandy and Beyoncé, Maria’s material lacks the distinctiveness to set her apart from the pack. Songs like the title track and the ballad “I Give, You Take” suffer from the same moody strings and ponderous beats, suggesting Maria’s just a one-note diva.

She’s come a long way from working as a music teacher for autistic children and as a backup singer on Wacko Jacko’s Bad tour. Over the course of five multimillion-selling, Grammy-winning albums, Crow has proven herself a credible purveyor of polished roots rock—and earned the respect of rock dudes in the process. All the hits are here, including the sunny “Everyday is a Winding Road” and the darker “My Favorite Mistake.” Also featured is her spiffy new remake of Cat Stevens’ “First Cut is the Deepest.”

By now, No Doubt has defied every Doubting Thomas who ever predicted the California group was a pop-ska flash in the pan. Gwen Stefani has stuck with the boys in her band—even when a solo career and marriage to Bush’s Gavin Rossdale beckoned. And No Doubt has turned out some pretty likeable tunes over the years, as evidenced by this greatest hits collection. Included is everything from Tragic Kingdom’s “Just a Girl” to Rock Steady’s “Underneath it All.” Bonus track: a cover of Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life.”

If the saucy sounds of accordion and français make you go “oo-la-la,” this is for you. Although Django Reinhardt and Edith Piaf are conspicuously absent, most of the biggest names in musette and chanson are here, including Barbara, Georges Brassens and Serge Gainsborough—along with his lovers Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin. Add newcomers Paris Combo and Baguette Quartette, who perform gypsy swing and traditional Parisian repertoire respectively, and all that’s missing is a beret and a pack of Gitanes. Voila.

The hit-making genius of Burt Bacharach has served countless interpreters well over the years, from Gene Pitney, Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick right up to Oasis, Elvis Costello and the White Stripes. The former leader of the Isley Brothers, gifted tenor Ronald Isley breathes new life into classics like “The Look of Love” and “This Guy’s in Love with You.” Produced, arranged and conducted by Bacharach himself and recorded live with no overdubs, this is evidence of two masters at work on a formidable songbook.

The Reverend has undeniable powers. I once witnessed a magical Al Green performance at a New Orleans festival, after a particularly dismal set by James Brown one gloomy afternoon. Green, sensing the crowd’s despondency, gave an electrifying display that not only got the audience on its feet but brought the sun out as well. This album, produced by Willie Mitchell who oversaw all of Green’s best 1970s recordings, has much the same power: soulful, joyful and blessed with the uplifting spirit of Green’s sweet falsetto.

More a feel-good brand like Oprah than a cutting-edge country artist, Reba McEntire has become a one-woman industry, spawning a TV series and a hit Broadway musical. But the redhead from Chockie, Oklahoma, who originally married a rodeo rider, keeps at least one foot in Nashville tradition. Now 48, trim and surprisingly foxy, McEntire tackles bluegrass and gospel on her latest album, especially on “Love Revival” and “Sky Full of Angels.” Otherwise, the songs are mostly the stuff of TV soaps and women’s magazines.

The banjo is the instrument du jour (having replaced the once-trendy tabla). Banjos are on new albums by Rufus Wainwright and the Thrills, and they’re all over the latest from Nelly Furtado, who has recruited Bela Fleck, the Kronos Quartet and Brazilian legend Caetano Veloso for accompaniment. From the dreamy “Island of Wonder” to the spirited Portuguese rap of “Fresh Off the Boat” and the infectious soccer anthem “Força,” it’s an wondrous experiment as Furtado taps into her immigrant roots for inspiring new sounds.

Part of the problem with seasonal recordings is the well-worn familiarity of so many yuletide chestnuts. Who needs another “Frosty the Snowman”—even if it’s a bluegrass or swing version? Siberry’s got the right idea: take relatively obscure sacred songs by Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn and others and give them a fresh, calling-all-angels treatment. Especially heavenly are her renditions of Handel’s “How Beautiful are the Feet” and the 15th century German hymn “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.” Sweet and soothing.

Harvey Pekar, the comic depressive of American Splendor fame, says of these downbeat jazz numbers: “at least most of them don’t have that rah-rah, sis-boom-bah it’s Christmas spirit.” True enough. Unfortunately, songs by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Spike Jones about Santa disappointments are more depressingly cute than cutely depressing. But it’s not all lumps of coal. The album closes with pianist Eric Reed’s funky instrumental “Christmas Blues,” a prize akin to scoring the wishbone at turkey dinner.