The twenty-nine-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat plays the Autoharp, the piano, the violin, and a variety of other instruments, but she can make remarkable music without any of them. Bulat has a singular voice, with a confident yet vulnerable tone, and she sings with an impassioned yearning that suggests the vast wilderness of her homeland. She’s been nominated for a Juno Award and short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize, and her third album, “Tall Tall Shadow,” recently released, shows her maturing as a songwriter. Bulat is touring the States, and is at the Bowery Ballroom on Nov. 23, with backing musicians—not that she really needs them.

Christmas comes early for fans of sterling soul and R. & B. The legendary singer Bobby Womack is playing three nights at City Winery, with a thirteen-piece band, Dec. 20-22. These are his first full-length shows in New York in more than a decade, since he had to cancel last year’s SummerStage appearance for health reasons. Expect treats from his rich back catalogue, as well as songs from his latest album, “The Bravest Man in the Universe,” his first in nearly twenty years, which was co-produced by Damon Albarn.

There might be more musical options for New Year’s Eve than there are snowflakes, including Phish at Madison Square Garden, the Punch Brothers at the Bowery Ballroom, Jill Scott at Radio City Music Hall, and the Bad Plus at the Village Vanguard, but after the holidays are over, bands—and showgoers—slip into hibernation. This year, though, Neil Young, another Canadian, is doing four nights at Carnegie Hall, starting Jan. 6. Also, the apap|NYC, the annual membership conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, lures thousands of artists, agents, producers, promoters, and other professionals to the city. The conference (Jan. 10-14) is for the pros, but there are a few concurrent showcases open to the public. One highlight is GlobalFest, which brings world-music acts to Webster Hall on Jan. 12. This year, the performers include Brushy One String, a Jamaican artist making his New York City début, who sings and plays a one-string guitar.