Various artists - Songs for Japan

Musicians have always been quick to support charitable causes. When George Harrison called for help to raise funds to aid homeless Bangladeshi refugees in 1971, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and others rushed to join a benefit concert and live recording. Since then, charity albums have become a pop staple, from We Are the World’s African famine relief effort in 1985 to last year’s Hope for Haiti Now, which benefited earthquake victims. Now, with the Japanese devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the world’s music community has joined forces on Songs for Japan,

Featuring 38 tracks by leading artists such as U2, Madonna and Michael Bublé, Songs for Japan is a two-CD set that mixes modern hits with classic tracks. Disc One opens with John Lennon’s peace anthem “Imagine” and includes Beyoncé’s moving “Irreplaceable” and Lady Gaga’s current “Born This Way.” Disc Two is equally diverse, ranging from Sir Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” to Nicki Minaj’s skittering “Save Me” and Justin Bieber’s acoustic “Pray.”

Young divas, including Katy Perry, dominate the album, whose proceeds will go directly to the Japanese Red Cross to aid those affected. But its most prominent artist is easily Barbadian pop princess Rihanna, who appears on two tracks: her own pulsing “Only Girl (In the World)” and Eminem’s massive hit “Love the Way You Lie,” on which she provides a hopeful chorus to the rapper’s dark verse. With star power like Rihanna’s, Songs for Japan is one charity album that can’t miss.