Music journalism, books and more

What do you get when you pair a versatile harmonica player from Sarnia, Ontario with a gifted singer and multi-instrumentalist from Ghana? The spirited duo known as Canadafrica. On their first album together, Stevens, a Son House devotee who’s married blues harp with bluegrass, and Okaidja, a former member of the Ghana Dance Ensemble who emigrated to Portland, Oregon to work with master drummer Obo Addy, cook up a tasty roots stew. There are folk and bluegrass flavors on Like a Little Bird and You Ain’t No Good, and numbers like Abifao and Dagarti benefit from the African spice of Okaidja’s percussive workouts. Some are message songs: Just a Boy, which has the hypnotic pull of Ali Farka Tour...

There are more suds this year in TV’s frothiest soap opera with a twang, as rivalries heat up and relationships get even hotter. Beyond the dramatic twists and turns, music remains as strong and clear as a Tennessee church bell. Functioning almost like a record label, the acclaimed series has already generated several real-life hit songs on country radio. The first season’s soundtrack, released in two volumes, sold an impressive 2.6 million digital downloads. Now the stars of the series are back with more of the best new country music around. Connie Britton sings about love’s complications on the driving “Ball and Chain,” while Hayden Panittiere courts danger on the feisty “Trouble Is.” Duet...

Breakup with fiancé Jason Trawick behind her, Britney is back to work. But while the 31-year-old mother of two is now all business, especially on the smash “Work B**ch” and other fitness-club anthems like “Body Ache,” there’s also pain and vulnerability on her eighth studio album. “Perfume” may be her most soul-baring number and the confessional “Don’t Cry” finds her saying goodbye to a lost love. Guests include Britney’s younger sister, Jamie Lynne, on the laid-back “Chillin’ With You, Black Eye Peas frontman will.i.am, the album’s executive producer, on the synthesized thumper “It Should Be Easy” and rapper T.I. on the explosive “Tick Tock Boom.” The album’s otherworldly highlight is “Alie...

She’s had a traumatic few weeks, losing her childhood dog and firing her longtime manager, but Gaga is back on top. Her fourth studio album takes the “Applause” singer into new stylistic territory with futuristic numbers about love, sex, fame, fashion and outer space. The latter theme is fitting now that Gaga has announced she’ll sing aboard Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic in 2015, becoming the first artist to perform in space. On the ultra-catchy “Venus,” she’s a goddess of love, singing about astrology and the planets over a thudding disco beat. Other out-of-this-world tracks include two crafted by Russian-German producer Zedd: the buzzsaw-driven “G.U.Y.” and the pulsing fashion-world cr...

It’s hard to believe, but there’s still more Beatles gold in the mine. This 2-CD set, a sequel to 1994’s bestselling predecessor, features an astonishing 63 new tracks, including two previously unreleased songs. Recorded between 1962 and 1965, these raw performances capture the band at the peak of its stage power. The sound quality, unhampered by screaming fans, is a revelation. “There’s a lot of energy and spirit,” Paul McCartney admits. “We are going for it, not holding back at all, trying to put in the best performances of our lifetimes.” And they do. Along with many of the Fab Four’s biggest hits, the 39 music tracks include never-before-released rollicking versions of Chuck Berry’s “I’m...

Don and Phil Everly surprised everyone in 1958 by turning their backs on a chart-topping pop career to release Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, a collection of old country and bluegrass standards originally recorded by legends like Gene Autry and Lefty Frizzell. Today it’s considered a classic. Now the unlikely duo of Norah Jones and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong have repeated the surprise, paying tribute to the Everly Brothers by re-recording that album. With Billie Joe playing Don and Norah taking the younger Phil’s parts, they recreate the Everlys’ signature close harmony style. But there’s a modern twist: by adding a female voice, songs like “Barbara Allen” and “Oh So Many Years” take on ne...

He’s always been a trailblazer—in music videos, activism and cross-cultural projects. Now Gabriel, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (as Genesis member and solo artist), has reinvented the art of the covers album. In 2010, he recorded songs by his favorite artists on Scratch My Back with the plan of those same musicians returning the favor. Said Gabriel: “Rather than having a passive project where you do your own thing with people’s songs, I wanted to see if I could interact with the people who wrote them.” The result is And I’ll Scratch Yours, which features Arcade Fire tackling Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers,” Lou Reed toughening up “Solsbury Hill” and Feist, together with Timber Timbre, c...

Earlier this year, Morrison revealed his Broadway roots with Where It All Began, a collection of songs from his favorite musicals. Now the star of TV’s Glee shows his fondness for seasonal songs. Working with producer Phil Ramone, he recorded six tracks with a 60-piece orchestra at Capitol Records where Frank Sinatra made his best albums. “That’s why we called it A Classic Christmas,” Morrison explains, “because it’s very classic in the way they used to record.” Crooning his way through Yuletide nuggets like “Let It Snow” and “O Holy Night,” Morrison injects a fresh sound into those well-known songs. He even brings the kind of enthusiasm you’d expect from Will Schuester, his super-positive G...

With her four-octave range and taste for emotive r&b, it’s easy to see why Lewis became known as England’s Mariah Carey. The 28-year-old star rose to fame in 2006, after winning the third season of The X Factor. Since then, she’s sold over 28 million records and experimented with new styles like dubstep and electronica. Now Lewis has released a Motown-style album and it’s a bona fide holiday treat. “Every year in my house I play a lot of Motown music, especially at Christmas, and especially Phil Spector records,” Lewis explained, “so that’s where the influence comes from.” Technically, there’s only one song drawn from that tradition: “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” originally record...

Over the course of 30 years, Blue Rodeo has built a loyal following of fans drawn to memorable songs and the warm harmonies of frontmen Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor. In 1993, the beloved Canadian alt-country rockers decamped to Keelor’s farm and recorded what many consider to be their best album: Five Days in July, a sunny collection with a communal feel that featured friends like Sarah McLachlan. Last fall, the 11-time Juno Award winners and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees returned to Keelor’s rural home and once again harvested pure gold. Says Cuddy: “It was apparent right away that it was going to be a good vibe record.” Songs like Cuddy’s shimmering “New Morning Sun” and Keelor’s hope...