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Among hip-hop superstars, Drake is an anomaly: an actor-turned-rapper who’s never been shy about showing his feelings. Sure, Drake has his chest-thumping moments like any rap artist worth his salt. And, like Kanye West, he’s got his conflicted side, expressing discomfort with some of the trappings of fame. But, at the end of the night, when the party’s over, Drake is the one rapper who can open up and croon convincingly about romance and lost loves. Born Aubrey Graham to a mixed-race couple that divorced, Drake was raised by his Jewish mother in Toronto’s wealthy Forest Hill district. He first made his mark in acting, starring as Jimmy Brook, the disabled basketball player in TV’s Degrassi: ...

Turner’s music has been featured on TV shows like Gossip Girls and Desperate Housewives, thanks to the sweet R&B grooves of her debut album, Passion, which drew comparisons to Duffy. The “Bounce with Me” singer’s sophomore CD leans closer to Rihanna, with its fusion of electro sounds and island rhythms. While tracks like “Come My Way” and “Away from You” shimmer with dance-friendly synths, it’s the tougher dancehall numbers “Rock Paper Scissors” and “Killer in the Club” that really cook.

The Beatles may have been born in Liverpool, but they grew up in Hamburg. The German city was where they honed their chops—performing 281 concerts during five visits—and made these career-launching recordings. Along with stereo and mono versions of rock ’n’ roll songs recorded with Tony Sheridan, this 2-CD set includes such Beatles-only relics as “Ain’t She Sweet,” sung by John Lennon, and George Harrison’s instrumental “Cry For a Shadow.” A photo-filled color booklet rounds out the package.

Keshia Chanté has been Canada’s most promising pop princess ever since she released Juno Award-winning self-titled debut album when she was just sweet 16. Like most princesses, she grew up in public, singing songs about crushes on boys she met at the mall. Meanwhile, she acted, modeled and took on charity and product endorsements for youth-oriented brands like Pepsi and Smarties. Her followup, 2006’s 2U, failed to capitalize on her rising profile, so Chanté retreated to retool her music career while appearing in Da Kink in My Hair and starring as the lead actress in TV’s Soul series. Now Chanté is back—and all grown up—with her third album, Night & Day. Musically edgier and lyrically mor...

Arden garners such acclaim for her heartbreaking songs and comedic charms that it’s easy to forget that she’s also a gifted singer. Her second album of cover songs, produced by Bob Rock, showcases her impressive range and depth. From the Beach Boys’ “In My Room” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” to the Motels’ “Only the Lonely”, the collection spans plenty of styles. But the highlight is Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me,” in which Arden’s deep emotional conviction turns the ’60s pop number into a defiant torch classic.

Before he was a globe-trotting pop star with supermodel wives, Joel was a lounge artist stuck in a Los Angeles bar. His breakthrough recording, with its title track mirroring those struggling days, turned everything around, establishing the Bronx-born artist as a chart-topping singer-pianist to rival Elton John. This 2-CD edition of the album, featuring such Elton-like numbers as “Captain Jack” and “Stop in Nevada,” includes a long-lost 1972 radio concert with several of Joel’s earliest love songs available for the first time.

Coldplay has never shied from embracing big moments, beginning with its sensitive hit single “Yellow” and such soaring ballads as “Swallowed in the Sea.” Singer Chris Martin, only half jokingly, referred to the title track from the British band’s last album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, as a “French Revolution break-up song.” That epic number played well in stadiums around the world, thanks to its crowd-pleasing chant. Coldplay’s fifth album is full of emotional highs—and plenty of chant-along choruses. Recorded in the same abandoned London bakery where Viva la Vida was made and produced again by Brian Eno, the enigmatically titled Mylo Xyloto is a concept album about two lover...

If a Leonard Cohen recording is like a book, full of stirring, often profound poetry set to music, this lavish box set is a veritable library. Featuring all 11 of his studio albums, from 1967’s Songs of Leonard Cohen to 2004’s Dear Heather, it’s a treasure trove for fans of Cohen’s exquisite gypsy ballads, dark laments and droll waltzes. Packaged with a 36-page booklet, the collection includes such timeless classics as “Suzanne,” “Hallelujah,” “Closing Time” and “Dance Me to the End of Love.” Songs of love and loss built to last.

Songwriting is all about rhythms and rhymes, according to the first recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. This two-CD set showcases both sides of the acclaimed composer’s craft, from a new version of “The Sound of Silence” to the rhythmic title track of this year’s So Beautiful or So What. Released to celebrate his 70th birthday, Simon’s personally selected 32-song collection leans heavily on selections from Graceland and its stunning followup, Rhythm of the Saints, proving his enduring love of the beat.

One of the most iconic rock bands of all time, U2 might never have reached the Nineties had it not been for the group’s seventh album. After its massive success in the Eighties, the band had fallen into a rut of seriousness and pomposity and desperately needed retooling. Achtung Baby was it. Recorded in Germany shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Achtung Baby broke new ground with its adventurous mix of alternative rock, industrial and electronic dance music and songs that were more introspective than anthemic. The 1991 album, says Bono, was “the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree.” The making of the pivotal album, produced by Daniel Lanois with Brian Eno, was the subject...