Album of the Day

Still going strong after more than half a century in the business, Gordon Lightfoot is among Canada's greatest musical exports – he was inducted into the nation's Songwriter Hall of Fame on this day in 2003. SUMMERTIME DREAM captures the singer-songwriter at the peak of his popularity; the 1976 Reprise collection reached #12 on the U.S. album chart, and its success is easy to understand. There are plenty of outstanding originals here, such as “Race Among the Ruins,” “I'm Not Supposed to Care” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” a Top 10 hit whose timeless feel belies the fact that the real-life maritime disaster it's based on happened mere months earlier. Just as important as the top-notch material are the performances, and Lightfoot is in great voice throughout SUMMERTIME DREAM with a backing band (including gifted electric guitarist Terry Clements and pedal steel ace Pee Wee Charles) that sounds equally inspired.