BLUES Shake Your Moneymaker-;The Best of the Fire Sessions: Elmore James (Buddha). Before Creedence and the Stones there was Elmore James, whose raw-throated singing style left its stamp on legions of soul shouters and rockers. Forty years after these songs were recorded, they’re still hot to the touch.
-Keith Goetzman

Wicked Grin: John Hammond (PointBlank/ Virgin). Two champions of the soulful underside of American life team up on this not-to-be-missed disc. Tom Waits, the producer here, masterfully

Discuss music at Café Utne's: cafe.utne.com

guides blues growler John Hammond through a great lineup of Waits’ classic tunes.
-Jay Walljasper

CLASSICALNeapolitan Café: Quartetto Gelato (QG Recordings). In cabaret-style arrangements of classical Italian tunes, this Toronto band’s enchanting mix of accordion, mandolin, cello, oboe, and gondolier vocals invokes late-night espressos on cobblestone sidewalks.
-Karen Olson

FOLKSongcatcher—Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture (Vanguard). America’s mountain music history is in good hands with this stellar slate of artists, including Hazel Dickens, Iris Dement, and Emmylou Harris. In this dazzling new soundtrack, the old songbook of Appalachia rings out with sorrow and joy.
-K.G.

ROCKHow Was Tomorrow? The Cash Brothers (Zoë). Gently buzzing balm for the mind, the Cashes’ music borrows from pop, country, and guitar rock, but spawns its own moody character. These siblings sing like post-punk Everlys.
-K.G.

CAPE VERDEANViva Mindelo: Fantcha (Lusafrica). A protégé of Cape Verdean diva Cesaria Evora, Fantcha has a more sprightly, less melancholy voice that she uses to conjure the spirit of a tropical party. Savor the sea breeze blowing through this disc or join in the revelry.
-K.G.

FRENCH-ARABICEwa: Seba (Tinder). A half-dozen Algerian brothers, now Parisians, put a modern spin on the rhythm-laden music of their homeland. The result is a heady, groove-inducing Arabic party album.
-K.G.

Discuss music at Cafe Utne: cafe.utne.com