Americana Artists Tap into Their Roots

Alison Krauss' brother, Viktor, has long been one of the solid supporting artists on the Americana music scene, playing standup bass for Dolly Parton, Chet Atkins, Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris, among others. But he's also a talented composer and bandleader in his own right. Many of his compositions are evocative instrumentals, inspired by the movie soundtracks Krauss remembers listening to as a child. His new CD, simply called II also has some vocals, with singers including Lyle Lovett and a magical version of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" sung by Shawn Colvin.

Our neighbors to the North also tap into Americana. Harry Manx and Kevin Breit have produced genre-bending music in their album In Good We Trust. Originally from the Isle of Man, guitarist Manx ended up in British Columbia after wandering the globe from South America to Asia to Europe. While in India, he mastered a slide guitar called the mohan veena. The Appalachian traditional "Death Have Mercy" or "Oh Death" — once performed by bluegrass players such as Ralph Stanley — has a spooky new interpretation backed by Indian sounds. Manx and Breit's CD has all the ingredients: solid blues roots, rock and roll, some traditional bluegrass and a hint of Indian spice.