By AIDIN VAZIRI, San Francisco Chronicle

Lenny Kravitz has too much going on.

This year, Tony Bennett turned 85 and scored his first No. 1 album ever. Not a bad start for the dapper New York singer, who has been at this for more than six decades. It helps that "Duets II," which made him the oldest living artist to top the Billboard 200, features collaborations with Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and Amy Winehouse. But that's not all.

Here's our take on some of this year's noteworthy seasonal releases:

--"Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album, Vol. 2"

The members of Blondie finished work on their new album, "Panic of Girls," more than a year ago. The only problem is, the group couldn't find anyone willing to put it out. So last month the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees relented and made their ninth studio recording and first set of new music in eight years available directly through Amazon.

He might be the last of his kind, but at 85 years old, Tony Bennett is just hitting his stride. When he agreed to share his microphone with some of the biggest names in pop music five years ago on the first installment of "Duets," he scored his best-selling album and three Grammys.

When Glen Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease six months ago, the bad news came with a whiff of relief. "He was forgetful," said his wife, Kim. "But because of his troubles with cocaine and alcohol and, of course, that infamous DUI, we wanted to tell people because we didn't want them to think he was on something."

Josh Groban is living it up on the road. The day we caught up with the multiplatinum-selling operatic crooner, he was recovering from a full costume screening of "The Big Lebowski" on his tour bus. Earlier in the week, he had rescued a wounded baby bird from the rain.

Not for the first time, Dolly Parton is here to make it better. The 65-year-old country-music superstar, actor and amusement-park mogul's latest album, "Better Day" -- her 41st studio recording -- is a salve for these sour times, full of uplifting tunes and honest Smoky Mountains shenanigans. She spoke to us from tour rehearsals in Nashville, Tenn.

SAN FRANCISCO - There was so much great music that came out this year. The only problem is you probably didn't hear any of it because Kesha and Kanye West sent you screaming to the nearest soundproof bunker. Well, it's time to resurface and discover a dozen worthy albums you may have missed.

SAN FRANCISCO - So much great music came out this year, but you probably didn't hear it because Kesha and Kanye West sent you screaming to the nearest soundproof bunker. Well, it's time to resurface and discover a dozen worthy albums you may have missed.