Acoustic country music is called a lot of things; the most common name for it these days is Americana. It comes in many forms, some very close to bluegrass, some very much country, some more folksy. These three discs cover all that territory and more.

Corinne West is a California singer-songwriter whose music is contemporary folk in a bluegrass style. After producing her own debut album, she has made her sophomore release Second Sight with producer Mike Marshall and a stable of some of the best contemporary musicians in the genre. With world-class musicians like Jerry Douglas on dobro, Darol Anger on fiddle, John Furtado on banjo and slide guitar, and Marshall on mandolin, it'd be easy for a young, relatively inexperienced singer to be overwhelmed. That's not a problem for West, whose sturdy songs are matched by her slightly husky alto, which she's capable of kicking up a notch to an Appalachian-style holler.

The songs come in a variety of styles, including fairly straight bluegrass of the opener "Second Sight," the railroad ballad "Gandy Dancer" and the metaphysical meanderings of "Diamonds To The Wind." "Hell Yes," an autobiographical sketch about hitting the road and following your dream, is a sprightly shuffle with strong rhythm set by the double bass and a brushed snare; "Hand Full Of Gold" is a slow love ballad; and "Cabin Door" is a stately waltz-time "non-religious prayer" about her home. The highlights are the slow gospel burn of "Roses To Rust," complete with soulful organ, about leaving when your heart hits the floor; and the honky-tonk "Lost & Found," which would be right at home on a Linda Thompson record. These two songs, at tracks 6 and 7, would be a great double-sided single in the old days.

Corinne West has a lot going for her, especially songwriting and vocal chops, and it shows in the company she keeps. Watch for more from her, but don't miss this one.

Caleb Klauder's voice sounds much older than his years. He's been making music most of his life, though, including as a founding member of the eclectic folk group Calobo in the '90s and currently in the Foghorn Stringband. On this, his second solo album, he lays down a dozen country songs in various styles, accompanied mostly by acoustic instruments. It's a sweet mix of originals and well-chosen covers, including Floyd Parton's "Rockin' Years," twin sister Dolly's (with Porter Wagoner) "The Pain of Loving You," "Whose Shoulder Will You Cry On," originally recorded by Kitty Wells, and the late great Cindy Walker's "It's All Your Fault."

The originals mostly stand up to the company they keep, too. They're mostly shuffles of various tempos. "Can I Go Home With You" has some fine baritone guitar from my favorite Portland, Oregon, sessionman Paul Brainard and fiddle from Betse Ellis. Dobro and fiddle are prominent on "Hard Times," which also has some rimshot percussion. "New Shoes" is an unpretentious ode to love, the blues and Louisiana. My favorite is the up-tempo "Sick, Sad and Lonesome." He finishes it off with the solo acoustic folksong "This Old Song," built around the chords and changes of "Keep On The Sunny Side."

The production on this disc, by Klauder, is a little flat. I kept getting the feeling that the songs could be a little more inviting, somehow, and it seemed that the production was the culprit. It's a superb collection of songs, though. You should go to his Web site and take a listen. Check out his tour schedule and catch a show -- he's touring Denmark and Finland in early '08.

Two Dollar Bash play acoustic Americana with a distinctive twang. This is particularly interesting because of the four regular members, three purportedly hail from Scotland and one from France, and they're based in Berlin. I'm not entirely convinced they're not American expats, but I guess we have to take their word for it. They've been playing in some combination or other for 15 years; they've been invited to the prestigious South By Southwest showcase in 2006, '07 and again for '08; and On The Road is their second full-length release.

Three of the four main members write songs and they take turns singing them through the 13 tracks on this album. They all handle guitar and vocals (Tony Rose just that), Matt de Harp also plays mandolin and harmonica, Joe Armstrong bass, Mark Mulholland mandola and banjo. They're also joined by Philadelphia-based writer and musician Bill Hangley, Jr., who contributed three songs, and also plays guitar and sings.

As it turns out, I like Hangley's songs best, particularly the opening track "Sacrifice," a bluesy shuffle with a driving rhythm; "Never Told Lies," a poignant waltz-time love song; and the bluegrassy "On The Road," about how he missed most of the current events that feed pop culture by being a touring musician.

Elsewhere they play some fairly straight folk, like de Harp's "Long Time Coming," and Rose's "Tomorrow Never Comes"; and some bluesy fare, such as Rose's "So Blue" and de Harp's Cajun-style "Roulez-Roulez." When they all join in on three and four-part harmonies, as on "Tomorrow Never Comes" and "So Blue," it's very nice. They included two covers, including the traditional "I Am A Pilgrim," which they don't really bring anything new to.

The album could benefit from a little more energy -- most of the songs seem about the same tempo -- and a little more variety in general. Part of the problem may be the production, which doesn't seem to leave much space between the instruments or vocalists, so it's like listening to the band through a curtain. But this is heartfelt and very true Americana, and I bet they do a good live show.

Three excellent Americana albums, two from America's West Coast and one from ... well, all over Europe, apparently. Corinne West leans toward bluegrass, Caleb Klauder toward the honky-tonk, and Two Dollar Bash country-leaning folk. All worth a listen.