Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

On his solo debut, the son of Bob exchanges his brothers and sisters (a.k.a. the Melody Makers) for such heavyweights as guitarist David Lindley, Incubus DJ Chris Kilmore and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and John Frusciante. The result is an album that owes more to reggae’s spirit—and its message of peace and love—than to actual one-drop riddims. Standout tracks include the slow blues of “Melancholy Mood,” the rock-oriented “I Get Out” and the sitar-laden prayer for non-violence “Don’t You Kill Love.”

The Lemonheads were alt-rock’s melodic answer to Nirvana and Evan Dando was a poppier Kurt Cobain. Inspired by Gram Parsons and blessed with a knack for catchy yet subversive songs, Dando seemed destined for greatness. Then drugs took hold and the son of a Boston attorney and a fashion model became tabloid fodder. This solo debut is his comeback. Co-produced by Jon Brion, it shows plenty of promise, especially on “Waking Up,” with its pounding piano and handclaps, and “It Looks Like You,” a sublime country-rocker. More please.

The material mum in cammo? You know the anti-war movement has momentum when la Madonna appears as a grenade-throwing revolutionary in her latest video, amid scenes of limb-less men and women with bloody babies. Already, Bush’s supporters have accused Ms. Ciccone of being un-American. But the lady’s no stranger to controversy—just ask Pepsi, Jerry Falwell and the Vatican. The new album, produced with Mirwais Ahmadzai, with whom she collaborated on Music, continues her current love affair with techno beats and shiny pop balladry.

A product of the Los Angeles scene, Maria McKee is best known as the leader of Lone Justice, a short-lived country-rock band from the 1980s. McKee’s solo work has been equally spotty, her last release being 1996’s Life is Sweet. Somewhere along the way, she left behind the Emmylou influences and adopted grandiose, Kate Bush-style pop pretensions. Despite several engaging story songs, like the childhood reverie of the title track, most of the new material is overblown in the extreme. The worst culprit is “Be My Joy,” a song of agonizing self-indulgence.

A trip-hoppy poet who mixes rap and rock with spoken word and jazzy grooves, Vancouver’s Kinnie Starr is overdue for a major breakthrough. If there’s any justice, it will come with this inspired album. Sun Again boasts a buoyant spirit and a warmer vibe than Starr’s previous outings. Songs like “Soar” reflect her new confidence. And “Alright” and “Dreaming” possess a sensuous, Lauryn Hill-like quality. Most striking are lush, romantic numbers like “Come” and “Amazed,” which reflect real artistic growth. Expect big things from this rare talent.

Baby Bifs, the four teenage girls in LiveonRelease are indebted to their den mother, Vancouver punk queen Bif Naked. At 10, Brittin Karroll co-wrote a track on Naked’s I Bificus album touring with her (Karroll’s dad manages the punk veteran). Then, after Brittin formed LiveonRelease, it seemed natural for Naked to put out the group’s debut album—including the hit single “I’m Afraid of Britney Spears—on her own label. The group’s followup features tough rockers like “Jaded” and “Paranoid.” But it’s worth asking: are they now afraid of Avril Lavigne?

Remember the Battle of Britpop, when Blur and Oasis slugged it out for chart supremacy? Well, apart from the ubiquity of “Song 2” (the “woo-hoo” anthem), not much has been heard from Blur, as the band’s Damon Albarn boogied off to solo success with Gorillaz. There’s apparently more than a few nods to Gorillaz’ electronic dub here, especially on tracks like “Ambulance.” But there’s also Parklife-style balladry on such songs as “Out of Time,” the first single. Could “Crazy Beat,” produced by Norman “Fatboy Slim” Cook, be the next big “woo-hoo”?

His debut album, 1996’s One Mississippi, was hailed by Esquire magazine as among “the greatest overlooked pop masterpieces of the decade.” So why have most of us never heard of Brendan Benson? Blame it on an indifferent record company and a contractual struggle that handcuffed the Detroit-born singer-songwriter. Now signed to a new label, Benson is clearly happy: joy is the predominant emotion filling this jangly, melodic gem of an album. Check out infectious songs like “Tiny Spark” and the anthemic “Folk Singer” for pure power-pop pleasure.  

With shades of The Eagles and Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Thorns brings together three talented singer-songwriters—Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins—in gorgeous harmony. Sweet was already thinking of putting together a Mamas & the Papas-style vocal harmony group when serendipity led to this supergroup trio. Produced by Brendan O’Brien, the debut album is so loaded with potential singles, from “Runaway Feeling” and “I Can’t Remember” to “I Set the World on Fire” and “Among the Living,” that success seems a foregone conclusion.

The quintessential Italian stallion, Gino Vannelli was Canada’s hairy-chested prince of disco and synth-rock during the 1970s. After a religious awakening in the ’80s, Vannelli over the next decade dabbled in Sinatra-style, jazz-tinged balladry on albums like Yonder Tree. Now the Canadian icon fancies himself Placido Domingo, venturing into pop-opera with orchestral grandiosity. Despite a still-commanding voice, Vannelli’s vapid English-Italian songs like “The Last Dance” and the title track wind up sounding either highly overwrought or simply pompous.