It's a touching moment, increasingly familiar to fans watching the E Street Band make its entrance: As the audience howls in anticipation and the rest of the band stands at the ready, Bruce Springsteen gently and lovingly helps Clarence Clemons walk to his saxophone at the front of the stage.

Even with their excellent harmonies intact - and despite the loss of arguably their coolest member, bass singer Michael McCary - I really see no reason for Boyz II Men to be covering songs by The Manhattans, Cyndi Lauper (really?), Bonnie Raitt, the Beatles and (say it isn't so) Journey.

Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Rod Stewart tossed aside his pop-rocker image for a more subdued appeal for his albums “The Great American Songbook,” a collection that stretched from one to four album releases.

Jeonghwan "James" Kim hasn't devoted half his young life to practicing the cello to be rich, famous or even earn all A's at the prestigious Walnut Hill School. Instead, the 16-year-old South Korea native who won a $10,000 award given to "deserving young musicians" practices several hours a day for a reason as ethereal as his music.

Fans of Fox's irreverent musical comedy "Glee" will love this soundtrack, which includes 17 songs from the show about a high school glee club performed by its talented cast.

 Pop-country has made superstars out of acts like Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and more, but the term is not particularly endearing in Nashville, even to the artists who have come to define it. "I hate saying pop-country. I hate using that," Carrie Underwood says during a recent interview while talking about some of her favorite artists.

From the 70s-style opener, "Child of the Sun," to the muddled vocals of the closer, "Gears," this compilation record of Anne Muldrow's early sessions show a potent soul singer on the verge of coming into her own.

I have a confession to make: I turned my back on an old friend, just when he needed me most. Well, that’s if you can consider an LP album to be a “he.” In some cases I suppose it might be a she. If you’re talking about, say, early ’70s David Bowie albums, who knows what the heck it is.

"Los Lobos Goes Disney" sounds like a really, really bad PG-rated movie. And yet in actuality, it's a really, really entertaining cover album from one of Los Angeles' most enduring rock bands, one that plays just as well for kids as it will for adults.

Fast-rising hip-hop artist Brother Ali's fifth album, "Us," was released Sept. 22 and has garnered the best response of his career, but he's not letting the praise go to his head.