CDs

Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Trio II

It’s been more than a decade since these three magicians released their first trio record, and although it garnered copious awards and four hit singles, nobody expected a second installment. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Trio II was recorded in 1994, then shelved because of scheduling conflicts. Now it’s out, and we have a fresh dose of matchless harmony from the first ladies of country music. Standout tracks are "High Sierra" (Harley Allen) and "I Feel the Blues Movin’ In" (Del McCoury). Players include, among others, David Grisman on mandolin, Alison Krauss on fiddle, Carl Jackson and Dean Parks on acoustic guitars, and late bassist Roy Huskey, Jr., to whom the recording is dedicated. (Asylum)

—Rani Arbo

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Cliff Eberhardt, Borders

From a songwriting, guitar-playing, and vocals point of view, Eberhardt never fails to deliver one key musical element—soul. He’s got it, he writes about it, he sings about it, and somehow it doesn’t get lost in the studio. On Borders he delivers a thematically linked collection of songs focused on boundaries and limits—from those that are thrust upon us ("The Wrong Side of the Line") to those we create ourselves ("Fix Your Blues"). A guitarist with great chops, Eberhardt has been a sideman for Richie Havens, Melanie, and others, and the power of his guitar work is clearly audible even though his songs are front and center. (Red House)

—Steve Givens

Habib Koité and Bamada, Ma Ya.

Malian guitarist Koité is a versatile and intriguing artist, both a master of the sub-Saharan griot tradition and an avid student of Western styles from blues to flamenco. This collection of his original songs ranges from traditional "danssa" rhythms to Western-oriented ballads. Koité’s delivery is confident and emotional. His beautiful all-acoustic textures and unruffled vocal style keep the songs intimate, occasionally inviting comparisons to Cameroonian Henri Dikongué. Koité’s unusual fingerstyle guitar work pays homage to the Malian n’goni, a koralike instrument featured in his arrangements. "Foro Bana," one of the bluesiest tracks, features hypnotic conversation between guitar and n’goni. No less hypnotic, "Mara Kaso" has the feel and shape of a Bert Jansch meditation. A finely crafted, well-conceived concert set from an innovative artist. (Putumayo)

—Danny Carnahan

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Hull and Larson, Moonbeams

Dakota Dave Hull and Kari Larson obviously like mixing instrumental textures as well as musical traditions—try a cute-as-a-bug "Mr. Sandman" for two ukuleles, sandwiched between the novelty number "Goofus" and the venerable "Rights of Man" for National steel guitars, or a mandolin/uke arrangement of the Irish-American "Three Pony Bit" medley. The original Hull and Larson sound shows up on the hard-swinging archtops of "Windchill"; the guitar and mandolin interplay of Scott Joplin’s "The Chrysanthemum" and the driving breakdown "Clark’s Ride"; and the sweet, melancholy six-string and tenor guitars of "You Don’t Know Me." Hull’s classic rag "The Second Chance" and Larson’s reflective "Halfway There" demonstrate hot solo chops. (Arabica)

—Russell Letson

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Burning Sky, Enter the Earth

Burning Sky features Aaron White on acoustic guitar, along with cedar flutes, didgeridoo, and percussion. The rhythmic fingerstyle guitar patterns are key to the group’s sound and mixed near the front of most tracks. A Nashville vamp in one composition, "Tribal Stomp," is a barn burner. The entire album is a song cycle that "re-creates the indigenous vision of spirits emerging from the underworld." Michael Bannister’s drums and percussion tie it all together. A worthy effort with lots of reverb and atmosphere. (Candescence/Rykodisc)

—Gary Joyner

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Miguel de la Bastide, El Cambio

Canadian flamenco guitarist Miguel de la Bastide, a native of Trinidad now living in Toronto, has been featured on half a dozen collections on the Narada label. El Cambio, his first solo album, fulfills the promise of those earlier recordings, balancing traditional flamenco forms with contemporary sounds. "Arrimate," an alegrías, and the title piece, a bulerías, particularly stand out, offering well-developed, melodic, thoughtful arrangements. Ably supported by bass, percussion, flute, and voice, de la Bastide has created an accessible and interesting blend of fresh ideas. (La Bastide)

—Stephen Dick

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Eric Taylor, Resurrect

If there’s anything better than Nanci Griffith or Lyle Lovett singing an Eric Taylor tune, it’s Taylor singing it himself. With a voice dripping with passion and coated with Texas dust, he’s one of those songwriters that has the ability to plop you down in the middle of a story or a situation and make you care that you’re there. His grand storytelling is augmented by fluid, ringing guitar. Resurrect shows why Taylor has left a significant mark on every recent songwriter ever to call him- or herself a Texan. (Koch International)

—Steve Givens

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Lia Luachra

This self-titled debut CD has stirred up plenty of excitement in the group’s native Ireland and throughout Europe. Using traditional instrumentation, Lia Luachra (named after the Celtic cycle of Finn Mac Cumuli mythologies) serves up a solidly stylized expression of the band’s origins. Guitarist Jon Hicks enhances his reputation as a leading D A D G A D exponent on this guitar-heavy outing. His harmonies frequently dance around the bouzouki and mandolin of Declan Corey. Fiddler Tricia Hutton and concertinist Shane Bracken fill out the group. Half of the tracks are traditional instrumentals given new life, two are vocal covers that show Hicks can also carry a song, and the rest are original tunes. The players are confident, lyrical, and cohesive. (Malgamu)

—Julie Bergman

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Folk music has a new face. But take my advice: before you give it a kiss, wipe off that little glob of applesauce. Music for Little People has performed a near miracle. Coached by producer-guitarist John Alevizakis, talented toddlers tunefully render our favorite children’s folk songs. Their voices are strong and natural, and the satisfying acoustic arrangements and performances raise cute to a new level of musical legitimacy. Robert Powell plays his Tama as well as a concert-size Martin uke and a postwar National tricone. He’s joined by label president Leib Ostrow on an ’86 Mello with Kasha-style bracing. If you love guitars and kids, this one’s for you. (Music for Little People)

—Jessica Baron Turner

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This recording by the Finnish guitar ensemble known as JAM Quartet immediately brings to mind the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. JAM’s work combines a similarly high level of technical accomplishment with a great sense of musical adventure. This recording features music from North and South America and opens with Stephen Funk Pearson’s "Elassomorph," a joyous excursion that combines country western and classical ideas. It’s followed by two pieces by late Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla that display his usual combination of excitement and melancholy. These accessible works are balanced by more challenging, but equally interesting works by composers living or born in the Americas. Recordings like this help to reveal the surprising breadth of music that’s possible when four guitars come together. (Bis)

—Stephen Dick

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SOURCES

Arabica, CF-04, 2515 36th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406; (612) 724-1995.

Bis, distributed by Qualiton Imports, 24-02 40th Ave., Long Island City, NY 11101; (718) 937-8515; www.qualiton.com.

La Bastide, 116 Eastwood Rd., Toronto, ON M4L 2C9, Canada; (800) 563-7234; www.interlog.com/~romero/.

Malgamu, 19 Belvedere House, 46 N. Great Georges St., Dublin 1, Ireland; available at www.celticnote.ie.

Music for Little People, PO Box 1460, Redway, CA 95560; (800) 346-4445; www.mflp.com.

Rounder, 1 Camp St., Cambridge, MA 02140; www.rounder.com.