Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Silky vocals and soaring falsetto are his trademarks. So, too, are soul-baring lyrics and slowed-down, smoothed-out r&b. All of which has made Caesar, who won a Grammy for his debut, a modern quiet-storm sensation. With his excellent third album, the Toronto artist cranks up the emotion—but not the tempo. Songs like the hook-laden “Always” and the dream-like “Pain is Inevitable” deal with vulnerability and heartbreak, while the sultry “Let Me Go” is like a candle-lit bath. Brimming with confidence even as he expresses doubts about fame, Caesar’s latest finds the talented singer at the top of his game. 

Janet Jackson is a survivor. As the baby in pop’s most famous family, Janet had to fight for attention and to be taken seriously. Launching her recording career just as brother Michael’s popularity was exploding, she lived in his shadow for many years—until she asserted her own image and a sound that mixed elements of r&b, funk, rap and new jack swing. By the end of the 1990s, she rivaled even the King of Pop as one of the decade’s most successful recording artists. A new compilation, Number Ones, charts Jackson’s rise from her 1986 breakthrough Control album to 2001’s multimillion-selling All for You. The 12 tracks range from love songs to statements of female empowerment. Control’s “Na...