Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

One of the best alt-country groups to emerge from the Toronto music scene in the 1990s, Crybaby featured a soulful twang and the sensual ache of Rae Billing's vocals. The band released one brilliant recording, 1996's Paintings, but sadly broke up before a second album was released. Since then, Billing has made several first-rate solo albums, including Blue Black Night and Walls and Fences, all showcasing her songs of rare honesty and intelligence and what one observer calleld her "gutsy femininity." Now, Billing and Crybaby are back for a series of special 20th anniversary reunion concerts, including a one-night only appearance Dec. 1 at Toronto's Cadillac Loung...

Her last album was called Girl on Fire and Alicia is still red hot. This summer, the 15-time Grammy winner made headlines by choosing not to wear makeup at an awards show. On her sixth studio album, Keys continues to boldly speak out, tackling topics from the human condition to global politics on tough hip-hop tracks and spare acoustic ballads alike. She’s also released a companion short film titled The Gospel that deals with police brutality. That outspokenness is the backbone of confessional numbers like the dancehall-flavored “Girl Can’t Be Herself,” which focuses on issues of self-image, and “Blended Family (What You Do For Love),” a song inspired by her own experience as a mother of two...

Norah Jones never stays in the same musical place for long. Since the runaway success of Come Away With Me—the “moody little record,” as she describes it, that launched her career in 2002 swept the Grammys and sold over 20 million copies worldwide—the singer-pianist has defied categorization, releasing half-a-dozen diverse solo albums and singing with artists ranging from Willie Nelson to Outkast. Now Norah, 37, has returned to her roots. Day Breaks finds the “Come Away with Me” singer working with legendary musicians like saxophonist Wayne Shorter and drawing influence from a wide range of jazz. Along with covers of Duke Ellington and Neil Young, there are fresh original numbers including “...