Roundup of recent roots recordings, from the Alvin Brothers to Tennessee Ernie Ford

In the early '80s, the Blasters helped spearhead what Eric Ambel of the like-minded Del-Lords has jokingly referred to as a "roots-rock scare," meaning the music was actually gaining more attention than usual. So it's fitting to begin this survey of some notable new roots/Americana releases with the latest album by Phil and Dave Alvin, the brothers who led that great American rock band in its heyday. (Phil still heads the Blasters today.)

Lost Time (Yep Roc 1/2) sort of picks up where 2014's Grammy-nominated Common Ground left off. But instead of focusing on just one of their old blues and R&B heroes (Big Bill Broonzy), the Alvins tackle songs by several, including four by their onetime mentor, Big Joe Turner.

The performances here often evoke the live-wire intensity of the Blasters, with Phil's nimble, piercing tenor and Dave's slashing guitar. Dave also does some singing, but Phil handles most of the vocals and remains a marvel, especially considering that he endured a near-death experience in 2012. Nowhere is that more evident than on his showstopping rendition of James Brown's "Please Please Please." (The Alvins will be at World Cafe Live on Oct. 29.)

Like Dave Alvin, Kevin Gordon is a masterful songwriter. On Long Gone Time (Crowville nolead begins ***1/2 nolead ends ) the Nashville singer-songwriter offers more of his literate yet elemental storytelling. Gordon always conjures a vivid sense of place - in this case, focusing on his native Louisiana - and that feeling is enhanced by the pungently atmospheric roots sounds that frame numbers such as "Letter to Shreveport," "Walking on the Levee," and "Shotgun Behind the Door." Gordon also takes to heart the message in the juke-joint romp that opens the set - it's "All in the Mystery" - and that just adds to the allure.

The aforementioned Eric Ambel produced what is probably the Bottle Rockets' best album, 1994's The Brooklyn Side. He's back at the helm for South Broadway Athletic Club (Bloodshot nolead begins ***1/2 nolead ends ), and he seems to bring out the best in the Missouri quartet.

Singer-guitarist Brian Henneman immediately reaffirms the Bottle Rockets' working-class solidarity with the ringing "Monday (Every Time I Turn Around)." It sets the tone for a crisp set of guitar-based songs that face up to everyday life with grit, hope, and some healthy doses of humor. Henneman is writing about warts-and-all real folks - a fact driven home by "Building Chryslers," an unsparing portrait of a Toyota-driving assembly-line worker who has bills to pay but no pride in his work. (The Bottle Rockets will be at MilkBoy on Sunday.)

If you ever wondered what the Mavericks would sound like if fronted by a female singer, you can get an idea with Whitney Rose's Heartbreaker of the Year (Cameron House nolead begins ***1/2 nolead ends ). Mavericks leader Raul Malo produced the set and plays on it along with two bandmates. The sultry Rose doesn't have Malo's kind of Orbisonesque lung power, but Malo surrounds her with a Mavericks-like blend of retro-tinged country and pop that manages to sound lush and evocative even when the accompaniment is actually spare.

Malo joins Rose for a terrific take on the Ronettes' "Be My Baby," but eight of the 10 numbers are first-rate Rose originals, which help the Canadian stand out on her own.

For a powerhouse female vocalist, no one fills the bill better than Shemekia Copeland. She has extended the legacy of her late father, blues great Johnny Copeland, while refusing to be boxed in by a purist vision of the blues. On Outskirts of Love (Alligator nolead begins **** nolead ends ) she continues her fruitful collaboration with producer, guitarist, and songwriter Oliver Wood. She sings songs by her father and Albert King, and delves into country blues with Alvin Youngblood Hart. But she also takes on numbers by Jesse Winchester, John Fogerty, and ZZ Top (with Billy Gibbons on guitar), making them her own with spine-tingling authority.

Now into the wayback machine:

Tennessee Ernie Ford is best known for "Sixteen Tons," his spectacular version of the Merle Travis folk tune. But there was much more to the TV and recording star than that huge 1955 crossover hit. Portrait of an American Singer (Bear Family nolead begins ***1/2 nolead ends ) is a five-CD set that collects all his secular recordings from 1949 to 1960. (He also recorded a lot of sacred music.) It showcases the easy versatility of this "sophisticated hillbilly," and it will be an eye-opener for the uninitiated.

Much of the earliest material makes a strong case for Ford as a progenitor of rock-and-roll, with hot, hip, and relentlessly infectious workouts such as "The Shotgun Boogie" and "Catfish Boogie." Even when he eventually turned to middle-of-the-road pop, he usually did so with taste and authenticity that enabled him to connect, whether crooning like a world-weary saloon singer, using his resonant baritone to semioperatic effect, or bringing a commercial touch to folk standards. The set comes with the usual Bear Family trappings, including a 127-page hardcover book.

Soul aficionados will pinch themselves over the four-CD Groove and Grind: Rare Soul '63-'73 (Rockbeat nolead begins * nolead ends nolead begins *** nolead ends nolead begins ). nolead ends Some familiar names turn up (Bettye LaVette, Ike and Tina, Kenny Gamble), but most of these artists have been lost to the mists of time - the aim was to include records that had never before appeared on a legitimate CD. You'll hear some elegant uptown ballads, but most of the 112 selections are relentlessly gritty burners like Richard Knight's "Show Stopper," a title that could describe just about everything here. nolead begins

ncristiano@phillynews.com

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