Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

With Queen Céline these days, it’s all about her hubby Rene Angelil and the birth of their son. So, naturally, the title track from the diva’s first studio album in five years treats the child’s arrival as something akin to the coming of baby Jesus.  Angelic choruses, heavenly strings prop up such overblown lyrics as “hush now, I see a light in the sky/oh, it’s almost blinding me.” Expect a video by Dino de Laurentis and a visually grandiose treatment of the miracle birth.

The Flannel-Shirted One, a soul singer? Backed by Booker T & the MGs, you might think Neil has such pretensions. It’s a bad idea, an oil-and-water solution in which Neil’s squeaky, croaky falsetto never blends with the band’s tight rhythmic groove. Nor are the songs, including  “Let’s Roll,” Neil’s homage to the fighting spirit of Todd Beamer, the doomed hero of Flight 93, anything to write home to Winnipeg about.  But, like Dylan, the man’s entitled to the occasional dud.

Ever since he wrote “Crazy,” a huge hit for Patsy Cline back in 1961, Nelson’s talent as a songwriter has been evident. Unfortunately, that talent has often taken a backseat to recording covers of old pop standards.  His latest, however, is pure Willie:  sturdy country ballads graced by plaintive pedal steel and a voice as dry as the Texas plains. From swing to blues and Tex-Mex, the album even includes one classic country title: “You Wouldn’t Cross the Street to Say Goodbye.”