Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Always provocative, M.I.A. performed pregnant at this year’s Grammy—on her due date. The rap artist’s song “Paper Planes,” featured in the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, was up for record of the year. Now M.I.A., whose occupations also include fashion designer, visual artist and political activist, has released her third studio album and it’s already causing a stir with agit-prop songs like “Born Free” and “The Message.” But the album also features one memorable love song: the reggae-flavored “It Takes a Muscle.”

Bat for Lashes, aka England’s Natasha Khan, counts Radiohead and M.I.A. among her fans. A former nursery school teacher, Natasha won acclaim with her first Bat for Lashes album, Fur and Gold, which earned Mercury Prize and Brit Award nominations. Her second album should attract a wider audience with bold tracks like the Kate Bush-style opener “Glass,” the Fleetwood Mac-like “Daniel” and the ethereal closer “The Big Sleep.” Wildly exotic, Bat for Lashes’ Natasha is a refreshingly brave new pop princess. April 2009