Having people guest star on your record is a dicey proposition. On one hand, it reeks of stunt casting, but on the other hand, if guests perform too well, they can completely overpower the album. Both Canadian indie chanteuse Emm Gryner and American standup comic Margaret Cho employ several guests on their latest works with differing results.

Gryner’s matchups are far more organic. Except for the appearance of Bubbles from The Trailer Park Boys (“Get Brave”), the roster of fellow Canucks is a good fit. Whether with Royal Wood, Joel Plaskett or Sara Quinn, these songs still sound like Gryner’s past catalogue, which is to say better-than-average workaday Lilith-rock. Fans won’t be disappointed by Gem and I.

Quinn appears with her sister, Tegan, on Cho’s musical debut, Cho Dependent. Joined by such tastemakers as Andrew Bird, A.C. Newman, Ben Lee, Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco, Cho’s lineup is considerably more impressive than Gryner’s. But, unfortunately, this feels like a waste of contributors’ talent. Musically, this is strong; in fact, its songs outshine Cho’s tired, drug-tinged gag tracks and not-so-shocking songs about genitalia. It’s good enough to be a legitimate musical contribution, but not funny enough to work as a novelty album. There are moments that reward those who suffer through the whole thing, but to be honest, it’s not worth the investment.