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Gladys Knight's latest CD is a collection of standards called Before Me. On the disc, Knight pays tribute to the women she looked up to as a young performer with her own versions of the songs they made famous.

The South Carolina band Sparklehorse has built a sizeable indie-rock following for their sad, strangely beautiful and sometimes just strange tunes. Their new album, Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, finds Sparklehorse indulging their talent for oddball prettiness — and brighten up a bit.

John Mayer has sold millions of CDs with his sensitive, wistful songs. Music critic Tom Moon has been listening to Mayer's new album, Continuum. He says Mayer is growing as an artist, his songs are better and he is utilizing one of his strengths, in playing guitar.

Country music star Vince Gill has a new four-disc collection of new music. Each disc covers a different genre, spanning traditional country and bluegrass, "modern" country, rock and jazz. Music critic Christian Bordal has a review.

Art Tatum was such a towering figure that it's easy to wonder whether he did things differently when he was off-duty and out of the spotlight. What did he sound like playing a private party or an after-hours club, that jazzman's preferred hangout, in the company of friends?

Fats Waller was often dubbed the "clown prince" of jazz who delighted crowds with his playful stage antics — a reputation that overshadowed his gifts as a musician and songwriter. A new CD collection of his recordings focuses on the music behind the merriment.

A Tragic Treasury, from the musical group the Gothic Archies, sets stories from the Lemony Snicket children's series to music.

French-born Helene Grimaud is busy this season. She has a new CD, Reflection, and her autobiography, Wild Harmonies, has been published in English. The works explore the pianist's different loves, in both her musical and personal life.

El Perro Del Mar could pass for an alternate-universe Motown sensation. Its minimalist sound incorporates touches of jazz and a heavy blend of orchestral strings in a way that finds room for both darkness and uplift.

Every summer has that album: one that defines the season while hearkening back to the mysteries and epiphanies of summers past. The newest incarnation may well be the work of Sound Team, which transforms indie-rock into a meatier, more inventive genre.