Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

PEI’s MacLellan comes by her craft honestly. Her father, Gene MacLellan, wrote such Can-folk classics as “Snowbird” and “Put Your Hand in the Hand,” covered by Anne Murray, Elvis Presley, Joan Baez and others. The twentysomething MacLellan’s second album features a dozen finely etched songs about facing life’s challenges that sound as timeless as her dad’s. Whether singing about the effects of winter (“Snow Day”) or shattered hopes (“Dreams Dissolve”), she displays a wise talent well beyond her years. Sept. 11

Heart’s hard-rock mama who roared through hits like “Barracuda” and “Crazy on You” reveals a social conscience on her solo debut, covering classic protest songs. Wilson teams up with Alison Krauss on Neil Young’s “War of Man” and Rufus Wainwright and Shawn Colvin on Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall.” But she unwisely tackles overworked numbers by The Animals and Creedence Clearwater Revival and, worst of all, lends her shrieking vocals to Led Zeppelin’s woefully dated “Immigrant Song.” Sept. 11

Swedish bands are becoming as ubiquitous as IKEA. This Stockholm group debuted in 2005 with its oddly titled album Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, a collection of songs that ran from lovesick to lovelorn. Singer-guitarist Adam Olenius remains the central problem: whenever the band sends a number soaring skyward, his annoying whine always manages to deflate the euphoria. The group is better served by keyboardist Bebban Stenborg, whose beguiling vocal on “Blue Headlights” provides one of the album’s few highlights. Sept. 11