Born on the Fourth of July on the 50th anniversary of U.S. independence -- 1826 -- the same day that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died, Stephen Foster is integrally woven into the fabric of American music. His music, simple as it might seem to a casual listener, is rooted in many styles and cultures, all of which were blended into the American melting pot.

As Foster biographer Ken Emerson writes in the liner notes, "Foster was the first great and distinctly American songwriter because he was the first to draw upon and stitch together the motley musics that settlers and slaves brought with them from Europe and Africa."

This album is a worthy tribute to his craft.

Although Foster died young and did not achieve great success in his lifetime, his music lived on and became an integral piece of America's identity. This album, the first release from the not-for-profit American Roots label, reimagines 18 of Foster's 19th-century compositions through the auspices of contemporary folk, country and pop singers including Alison Krauss, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Judith Edelman, The Dukhs, John Prine, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Michelle Shocked, Grey De Lisle, Roger McGuinn and Ron Sexsmith.

Tracks include the familiar and less well known, among them "Slumber My Darling," "Don't Bet Money on the Shanghai," "Nelly was a Lady," "No One to Love," "Camptown Races," "Old Folks at Home," "Oh! Susanna," "Hard Times Come Again No More," "Comrades Fill No Glass for Me" and, of course, the title track, "Beautiful Dreamer." Some tracks are presented in a traditional vein, while others stretch their legs in unusual directions.

The album won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2005, and deservedly so. Foster was America's first great professional songwriter -- a pop star of his day -- and his music deserves whatever attention it garners through new recordings such as this. Many of his songs truly are timeless, and it's good to revisit them now and again.