Notable Folk and Americana Releases for Fall 2009

It's been more than a year since the Avett Brothers announced they'd be moving from indie label Ramseur in their home state of North Carolina into the major leagues with a deal at Columbia Records. Their first major label full-length release, I and Love and You drops Sep. 29 and has already churned up a good amount of buzz. If their previous releases are any indication, they'll have no problem living up to the buzz.

Langhorne Slim has long been one of my personal favorite up-and-coming artists on the national folk festival touring circuit. The band released their last album (self-titled) just a year ago, but there seems to be quite a bit of buzz behind its follow-up Be Set Free. This disc counts among its songs some of the band's biggest crowd pleasers from their live shows, particularly "I Love You, But Goodbye."

Bob Dylan has tried his hand at almost every other kind of music, so why not Christmas carols, right? Still, it's hard to imagine what he'll do with a song like "Here Comes Santa Claus," but there's no doubt it'll be memorable and, at the very least, worth some discussion. Plus, proceeds go to charity.

Brandi Carlile's third album sees her and her band teaming up with Elton John, Paul Buckmaster, and Indigo Girl Amy Ray, not to mention hit-maker producer Rick Rubin. It's a firm step forward from 2007's The Story, moving further from that album's aesthetic into more raw territory, and it's already landed on a few critics' lists.

When she was a young girl, Johnny Cash gave his daughter Rosanne a list of essential songs he thought she needed to become familiar with. Now, years later, Rosanne Cash is readying the release of an album where she covers some of the songs from that list. Among them are songs by Bob Dylan and the Carter Family, and guest appearances by Jeff Tweedy, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen and more.