Ah, the interplay among harps and accordion! Yes, I've become a fan of the Poozies. It all started one wintry morning when my not-so-local public radio station tantalized me with the flowing harmonies of "Another Train." As I sat mesmerized, oblivious to a changing traffic light, I knew I must track down and hear more from this quartet.

Raise Your Head (A Retrospective), a compilation of favorite selections from three previous CDs and one EP, does not disappoint. The retrospective includes songs from the Poozies in their various configurations. Sally Barker provided sultry leads on the two earliest recordings, Chantoozies and Dansoozies, while Kate Rusby stepped up for vibrant performances on Infinite Blue and the five-track Come Raise Your Head.

This delightful CD benefits from the strength and diversity of the women's voices and the tracks flow beautifully together because the harps of Mary Macmaster and Patsy Seddon, along with the piano accordion of Karen Tweed, are the soul of the band. Seddon adds fiddle on some tunes, while Barker's guitar or Rusby's fiddle complement the core sound on others.

The CD alternates tune sets, most including original Poozies' compositions and innovative arrangements, with songs featuring sweetly blended harmonies. Raise Your Head opens with the delightful ballad of insatiability in "The Widow." Rusby's voice lends charm, a bit of innocence and yearning to Mick Ryan's verses. "The Widow" blends seamlessly with Tweed's tune "Charlie's Cap."

Barker's leads highlight the inspiringly soulful "Another Train" and the lively "Company of Women," which she co-wrote with Martin Ansell. Rusby's haunting rendering of the sorrowful "Maid of Llanwellyn" elicits startling mental images with simple lyrics. Seddon shines in the leads of Poozie arrangements of traditionals, "Hey How My Johnny Lad" and "Ma Plaid."

The tunes segue between the tempos and featured lead players, highlighting the many talents of these women. Macmaster's electro harp punctuates the Scottish tune "Willie's Old Trousers" before Tweed's flying fingers zip through her original piece, "The Whole Thing." One of my favorites, "The Mountaineer's Set," opens with jazzy doowop vocals on "Charlie Lennon's" before sliding into the highly danceable "Wissahickon Drive" and "The Mountaineer's Reel," followed by the Seddon's dazzling "Tossing the Mane." Likewise, "The Bay Tree Set" includes a booming vocal portion, "Faca Sibh," a traditional Gaelic dancing song that accentuates the bookending waltz and jig.

Of the 14 selections on Raise Your Head, there isn't a bad choice -- though Barker's "Honesty" could have been a tad shorter and the inclusion of "Poncho and Lefty" seems a bit odd. This retrospective is an excellent introduction to the Poozies, and the accompanying liner notes are extensive and helpful, detailing the story of how the various combinations of players found each other and created this unusual and riveting sound.