JAZZ  Blue Flame by Simon Shaheen & Qantara (Ark 21). Shaheen plays the violin and the oud, a guitarlike Arabic string instrument, with amazing passion and prowess on these East-meets-West instrumentals. His "Tea in the Sahara" has the makings of a standard.
—Keith Goetzman

FOLK ROOTS The Dances Down Home by Joe Cormier (Rounder) If the
O Brother sound track whetted your appetite for more passionate fiddle music, dig into Joe Cormier—a master from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where the vibrant local music was shaped by the same Scottish traditions that influenced Appalachian and country music.
—Jay Walljasper

AMBIENT Ágætis byrjun by Sigur Rós (PIAS/FatCat). Dentists everywhere should play this gorgeous album in their offices, killing pain by sending their patients into a blissful Icelandic haze. Washes of sound, swelling strings, and the disembodied voice of Jón Pór Birgisson shimmer with an almost
classical beauty.
—K.G.

SCANDINAVIAN Nordic Roots 3 by various artists (NorthSide). Scandinavian folk, like traditional Celtic music, is experiencing a groundswell of creativity. The Minneapolis label NorthSide, which specializes in new Nordic folk, issues an annual sampler that ranges from soulful accordion playing to dreamy fiddling to mesmerizing Sámi yoik singing. It is not only priced right ($5), but it is also a fantastic introduction to the cool rhythms of the North.
—Karen Olson

ROCK Don’t Worry About Me by Joey Ramone (Sanctuary). Punk rock is often pigeonholed as a den of nihilists, but Joey always found the fun in life, as he shows on his amped-up rendition of "What a Wonderful World." The late, beloved Ramone also celebrates the wonders of TV’s "Maria Bartiromo" and signs off for good in a typically big-hearted way with "Don’t Worry About Me." Sigh.
—K.G.

I Am Sam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture sound track by various artists (V2). Using all Beatles songs is a mighty fine start, and most of the artists here are well matched to their assignments. Sarah McLachlan sings a swell "Blackbird," Eddie Vedder smolders on "You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away," and Grandaddy puts an amusing twist on "Revolution."—K.G.

AFRICAN Timbuktu by Issa Bagayogo (Six Degrees). With the soft strings of his kamélé n’goni (a three-stringed hunter’s lute) and a strong, soothing voice, Bagayogo mixes traditional music of Mali with mellow dance grooves to create a highly listenable recording, fine as Sahara sand. —K.O.