Each cut on this tsunami benefit comp is a different pairing — 16 different acoustic music dream teams. Altan and Vince Gill. Rodney Crowell and Paul Brady (with Jimmie Rodgers yodel). Jim Lauderdale and Maura O'Connell. Solas with Mindy Smith. Welsh rocker Cerys Matthews sings a traditional number in both Welsh and English, and with bluegrass fiddler Stuart Duncan in Eastern European mode and John Jorgenson's gypsy guitar, it's a delightful surprise. Such imaginative combinations.

Go ahead, try to stay in your seat! From "Mississippi Sawyer" to a square dance treatment of our beloved "Golden Slippers," the fiddle and banjo etch the beats, live to tape. This is the genuine sound of a Foghorn square dance; the only thing lacking is the calls.

Lush horn-laden blues grab us with the first cut, and punch out historically correct calypso, sounding every bit like it did in its mid-20th century heyday. Nelson, born in 1919, has the perspective to tweak these arrangements in an accurate frenzy. His still-strong pipes demand that powerful an accompaniment. When Kinsey gets updated, they should include this sly dog's tunes and lyrics as exhibit A in the geriatric category. To hear him tell it, his rockin' isn't restricted to the stage.

Rusby has a distinctive voice, light and given to vibrato at the ends of phrases, perfect for the English traditional songs she brings to life here. Her settings are contemporary and acoustic, and — just to see if you are paying attention — she renders "You Belong to Me" (yes, "see the pyramids," etc.) in the same style.

Bluegrass, blues, swing, a dab of Cajun — O'Brien has had them mastered for so long that he can deftly drop a song strictly associated with one genre into another and neither side complains. He can even write a hilarious number about e-mail and make it sound like the Stanleys wrote it 60 years ago. This CD is the recorded definition of Americana.

Almost 20 years ago Patty Larkin wrote "Not Bad for a Broad," a song narrating the trials of a woman who happens to be an excellent guitarist in a traditionally male world. Apparently the battle still rages, since her anthology of breathtaking women players is subtitled "Gender Bending Strings." Huh? The CD needs no gimmick; the music speaks for itself. From early blues by Memphis Minnie to modern blues by Rory Block to major distortion rock (Jennifer Batten), there isn't a lame cut. Kaki King's snapping rhythms contrast brilliantly with the rapid delicacy of multiple Grammy winner Sharon Lisbin.

The title seems almost a joke, starting off at a gallop with the theme from James Bond. Irresistible energy over Eastern European tunes, think New Orleans brass on speed, amazing stuff, with their own Rumanian Louis-style high velocity vocals.

In this impressive package (two CDs and one DVD), Paquito D'Rivera and Andy Gonzalez are among the herd of Latin jazz stars who perform Valdes' complex compositions flawlessly. Definitely a jazz CD, but without the Afro-Cuban roots rhythms these compositions would not exist, so even folk purists should appreciate the octogenarian legend of Cuba's golden era paying tribute to his heritage.

Souza is an astonishing singer, a master of both jazz and classical techniques in addition to her native Brazilian sambas. The latter are the meat of this CD, just her voice and one wildly imaginative guitarist per track. Together they create the excitement of samba school without a single drum.

When Americana reaches north of the border they add a few things, like songs of French Canada, to the mix. Arresting instrumentals and creative mixing of musical metaphors make the Bills popular on both sides.