This week we're celebrating two National Days that occur in July:  Independence Day in the United States (July 4), and Bastille Day in France (July 14).

The Rough Guide to Paris Café (World Music 331240)
The accordion reigns supreme in this selection of music which is mostly derived from bal musette, a genre developed in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century.

Classic American Ballads (Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40215)
Born of the British ballad, its American offspring was the blank canvas for all kinds of tales - the more scandalous or calamitous the better!  Train crashes, outlaws, murders and natural disasters are commonplace topics in this selection of American ballads from Smithsonian Folkways.