Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

The Minneapolis alt-rockers were once overshadowed by fellow homies Hüsker Dü and The Replacements. But that was before frontman Dave Pirner started dating Winona Ryder and the band topped the charts, amid cries of sell out, with the slick “Runaway Train.” Soul Asylum’s first album since the death of bassist Karl Mueller isn’t going to win back old fans. Songs like “Stand Up and Be Strong” and “Crazy Mixed Up World,” which Pirner wrote on becoming a dad, are overly earnest, instantly forgettable anthems. July 11

Buffalo’s fiercely independent, openly bisexual punk folkie makes albums that are equally political and personal. DiFranco’s latest is no exception. The title track and “Millennium Theater” both cite the curse of patriarchy, while the cautionary “Decree” urges, “Step up and forfeit your frontal lobe to the sexed up strobe of celebrity.” Just when her stridency begins to irritate, DiFranco delivers a jazz-tinged, poetic ballad like “Hypnotized” so tender that she could win over the most jaded, non-partisan listener. July 11

Still ramblin’ at nearly 75, Elliott’s been around since Woody Guthrie. A onetime cowboy turned hobo, he’s hung out with beatniks and Deadheads and starred in Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder roadshow. His flat-picking is vintage folk-blues and his voice, now deliciously craggy, bears the mark of many traveled miles on songs like “Arthritis Blues” and “Leaving Cheyenne.” Despite the presence of fans like Lucinda Williams and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, Elliott, a bona fide living legend, owns the whole spotlight. July 11