Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Leger is crazy prolific, having released almost an album-a-year of original roots rock since 2005. Specializing in image-rich narratives of heartache sung in a reedy tenor, the Toronto native has drawn inevitable nods to Dylan. At the star-studded tribute to the Band’s Last Waltz at Massey Hall in November, Leger was chosen to cover Dylan songs—and stole the show. With his latest album, the comparisons will only continue. “I Was Right to Doubt Her,” with its sneaky organ and sleepy border-town feel, conjures up Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb Blues,” while the piano-laced ballad “Wounded Wing” boasts admirable Dylanesque poetics. Leger is unstoppable, his talent undeniable. 

Once again, I look back on a year of music. For me, 2023 was rich in some phenomenal sounds. But much of what I consumed was through live performances, less through studio recordings. The Polaris Music Prize offered plenty of new discoveries, including Debby Friday and her winning Good Luck debut, Aysanabee's Watin and Begonia's Powder Blue. For compilations of the past year, nothing for me can top Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos, a stunning seven-CD set compiled by Cheryl Pawelski of stripped down gems by unsung heroes who wrote the classic songs of Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave and the Staple Singers. Jason Wilson's Ashara album, ...