On a four-day staycation, I spent a fair amount of time going through stacks and stacks of CDs. Plenty were tossed out after just a couple of tunes, but several stayed in for a full listen. These are the 12 albums worthy of recommendation after a single listen, plus a review of recordings of an old song.

B.B. King "One Kind Favor" (Geffen)
Influence of producer T Bone Burnett is felt most deeply on the opening track, a gurgling, sparse and treble-free take on Blind Lemon Jefferson's "See That My Grave is Kept Clean." Otherwise, Burnett makes sure the sharp and invigorating horns land in the right places and that King's voice still sounds like man consumed with despair finding a way to smile. 

Jack Rose "Dr. Ragtime & Pals" (Beautiful Happiness)
Jack Rose and James Blackshaw have quietly emerged as the John Fahey and Leo Kottke for a new generation, acoustic guitarists steeped in  blues and folk melodies who fingerpick at blazing speeds. On "Dr. ragtime," Rose keeps the songs short and limits his use of ragas, instead choosing to play it straight as he explores blues and rags, occasionally with guest players. "Fishtown Flower," one of his new compositions that sounds hill-born a few years after WWI,  is a regular march down Main Street U.S.A., the guitar working at a pace of pride and a banjo clopping along like a well-mannered horse.

Mike Gordon "The Green Sparrow" (Rounder)
The former Phish bassist delivers a playful, easy-going version of Phish-funk, a Vermont spin on New Orleans rhythms. Perfect for hacky sack or an afternoon barbecue, Gordon's a laid-back singer with a crew that includes some veteran all-stars - Bill Kreutzmann, Trey Anastasio, Chuck Leavell - but the snappiest and possibly most convincing track is "Andelman's Yard," which goes on a bit too long at six minutes, 13 seconds. It's the one tune in which he played all the instruments.   

Jonatha Brooke "The Works" (Bad Dog Records)
Soft-rocker gets an invite to dig through the Woody Guthrie archives and picks over whatever Billy Bragg left behind when he did his "Mermaid Avenue" project. Rather than the rustic route Bragg took with Wilco when he finished off some of Guthrie's tunes, Brooke brings together a collection of jazz musicians (Christian McBride, Joe Sample, Steve Gadd) and studio aces (Mitchell Froom, Greg Leisz) to make a record that should appeal to the Norah Jones-Bonnie Raitt set. It's a lot of love songs and none of it feels very Guthrie-ish; the bluesier material is the strongest, "You Oughta be Satisfied Now" being the standout.

Boz Scaggs "Speak Low" (Decca)
The always elegant Boz makes a significant leap from his first collection of standards, bringing a strong sensual edge to "Speak Low." Not only does he sound thoroughly involved but he has an acoustic bassist as a sparring partner, dancing around his vocals and peppering the empty spaces with flair. Album will be released on vinyl on Sept 30.

Glen Campbell  "Meet Glen Campbell" (Capitol)
Given the sort of strings and pop backing he was afforded on albums such as "Galveston," Campbell leaps into a rock 'n' roll repertoire and emerges with impressive results. Two Tom Petty tunes sparkle brightest, "Angel Dream" and Walls," though one wonders why he never recorded Jackson Browne's "These Days," a song that seems tailor made for him. I wish we could A/B between two versions, one he cut when he was 32 and one he's done now, at 72.

This Is Ivy League "S/T"
Baroque folk-pop, this spin-off from Cobra Starship reaches back to Love's "Forever Changes," Lee Hazelwood, the Left Banke and early Scott Walker to create a lovely album rich in summer splendor. The heart-tugging, bossa-loungey "Viola" would have made women in beehives swoon back in '68.   

Roy Harper "Counter Culture" (Science Friction)
Disc one of this 25-song career overview is an endorsement for Harper's place in the evolution of British folk music alongside Richard Thompson, Nick Drake and John Renbourn. Covering 1966 through '75, the music is an ambitious integration of American and U.K. folk styles, the selections sticking with songs that relish structure. Harper has long had a jazz player's sense of adventure and on some of the recent reissues from his catalog it's clear that got the best of him at times.         

John Pizzarelli "With a Song in My Heart" (Telarc)
An all Richard Rogers program from the ace jazz guitarist and singer, this is one of the best-sounding recordings of 2008. Telarc, which prides itself on the quality of its recordings, can often deliver sterile sounding albums, but here there's a sense of space and warmth. Pizzarelli is, of course, superb on the guitar solos, and his voice gets the job done, setting the tunes on a balancing beam between jazz and cabaret. He's in truly fine voice on "Happy Talk," "Mountain Greenery" and "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught"; his father Bucky guests on "It's Easy to Remember."   

"The Lady is a Tramp"
The weakest rendition on Pizzarelli's album is the Rodgers & Hart song Frank Sinatra made his own. Scrolling through my iTunes library, I decided to check out other takes on the tune. Sammy Davis Jr. does a balls to the wall version, which appeared on the Rhino box set "Yes I Can," that includes the first verse that Sinatra dropped. Tony Bennett did an intimate version in the mid-1970s with guitar and piano on "The Complete Improv Recordings." Sinatra recorded a cool jazz version with the vibraphonist Red Norvo on their 1959 live album. Oscar Peterson plays it at lightning speed - as does his guitarist Herb Ellis - and throws in some fascinating left turns in his chordings on "At the Concertgebouw." The pianist Bill Charlap plays it brisk with his bassist Peter Washington taking a refreshing and lyrical solo.    

Jerry Douglas "Glide" (Koch)
The dobro player goes in four different directions - bluegrass, Dixieland, country and ambient - maintaining a group feel to every piece. Not hot dogging - an oxymoron on most bluegrass discs - and on a  good half of the album it's hard to tell the dobro is the focal point. Still, the uptempo, organic numbers are the most impressive. Guests include Rodney Crowell, Sam Bush, Travis Tritt and Earl Scruggs.   

Delta Spirit "Ode to Sunshine" (Rounder)
"People, Turn Around" - a great call to arms. A great upright piano sound, proof that the influence of the Band lives on.

The Cowsills "The Cowsills/We Can Fly" (Cowchip)
Realizing I had no Cowsills in my library I picked this up recently and was pleasantly surprised the band had more to offer than "The Rain, the Park & Other Things." Success of "Mamma Mia!" suggests that audiences love the blending of male and female voices and this family band from the '60s did that a lot better than they ever received credit for. All 28 tracks on this two-fer are quite listenbable.