Suzy Bogguss draws on her affection for traditional musical forms on American Folk Songbook, a well-selected 17-track collection of ballads, children’s ditties, and other timeless tunes. Released with an accompanying hardcover songbook, the album recalls folk music anthologies by Pete Seeger, John Jacob Niles, and other musicians who combined entertainment with cultural education. Bogguss takes a sparse, acoustic-oriented approach to her material, giving the album an intimate feel. She takes an obvious delight in her treatments of such favorites as “Sweet Betsy from Pike,” “Old Dan Tucker,” “Erie Canal," and “Froggy Went A-Courtin’.” She adds a hint of the blues to “Wayfaring Stranger” and lends an almost Victorian purity to “Banks of the Ohio.” Western balladry—a strong suit for Bogguss even in her country hitmaking days—is represented by luminous readings of “Red River Valley” and “Git Along Little Dogies.” From Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer” to A.P. Carter’s “Wildwood Flower,” Suzy reaches across eras to craft a family-friendly spirit, inviting everyone to sing along.