Sarah Michelle Gellar may be saving the world from vampires but her TV show is also helping a few worthy bands get some much needed exposure. Dayton, Ohio's ridiculously prolific Guided by Voices lead things off with the playful "Teenage FBI," a strong distillation of the band's knack for the irrepressible hook. The all-femme Hepburn protest in true "Maggie's Farm" fashion (as in "I ain't gonna work on...") for the quickstepping, bubble-gum punk-pop of "I Quit." Bif Naked's arena anthem "Lucky" is perfect for staring at candles. Garbage are in suitably psychedelic glam shades for "Temptation Waits." Rasputina, the gothic cello ensemble, include the appropriate "Transylvania Concubine." The only misstep is from virtual old-timers the Sundays, who deliver a lazy-day version of the Rolling Stones'"Wild Horses." But this is made up for with the inclusion of Nerf Herder's "Buffy" theme song and Christophe Beck's instrumental theme music, which round out this all-inclusive collection. —Rob O'Connor

While the idea of infusing a weekly TV series with a Broadway musical ethos isn't exactly a new one—think Randy Newman's ambitious Cop Rock—it became something of a turn-of the-century television mini-trend. But few have reached as far—or succeeded—like this November 2001 episode of Fox Network's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Penned by series creator-producer Joss Whedon and performed by Sarah Michelle Gellar and cast, it's a loving, loopy musical pastiche that takes potshots at everything from Andrew Lloyd Webber to alt-rock. Paralleling the show's lovable pop culture tweaking, the musical styles here (the episode's musical conceit is a curse visited upon Buffy's hometown of Sunnydale) range from a patent footlight chorus of demons being interrupted by Gellar's hard-rocking stake thrusts on "Going Through the Motions" to Spike the Vampire's goth-metal complaint "Rest in Peace," with everything from parking tickets and mustard stain removal to climactic duels with the supernatural getting the Broadway send-up. Also includes strong orchestral score-suites from three other episodes, as well as Whedon and wife Kai Cole's demo for "Something to Sing About."—Jerry McCulley

Compilations of readily available music are rarely satisfying, and sometimes the more they try to have a theme the less satisfying they become. The Putumayo series certainly falls prey to this often, but this particular set has risen above the mass. Editors Hamid Zagzoule and Jacob Edgar have an understanding of North Africa, and provide intelligent liner notes on the artists and the music. Some selections were obvious: Khaled, Rachid Taha, Ali Hassan Kuban, and up-and-coming star Rasha. Others are new names for most listeners. On the pop side is Algerian Kadda Cherif Hadria, whose use of a light jazz piano mixed with more traditional sounds works well to showcase an excellent voice. Sharkiat also use jazz with a slightly harder edge to enhance their Nubian sound. The set follows through with artists that provide a pop-side look at the music of Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, and Egypt. The music here is intelligent and pleasant, but nothing really gets deep into the root. This is easy listening from the Maghreb. —Louis Gibson

2 CD version of the release. 32 tracks.

The first time you listen to this disc you will undoubtedly be transported directly back to your childhood. Charles Schulz's Peanuts characters will go toe-tapping and funky-dancing through your mind's eye. Play it a few more times, though (ignoring the dialogue snippets, if you can), and you will begin to truly revel in Guaraldi's wonderful, humorous, deep piano playing. You'll hear why he's such an influence on new age ivory tickler George Winston, but you'll also realize that Winston's holiday music never quite sparkles with the underlying passion, and humor, that twinkles in these grooves. Buy it for the nostalgia—keep it because it will remain one of the most enchanting albums in your holiday collection. —Michael Ruby