Performing at Tamworth Country 2011

For Aussie country fans, it doesn't get any bigger or better than this — ten days of great sounds capped by CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia . . . which makes the whole Tamworth shebang a boot-scootin' pilgrimage and a sonic celebration all rolled into one. Catherine Britt (who picked up the Female Artist of the Year gong in 2009) heads our selection from the enormous roster with the gorgeous Harris homage, "Sweet Emmylou," along with the Bushwackers Band, stirring up a merry folkish jig with "Flash Jack from Gundagai," while Shane Nicholson offers mellow reflection on "Summer Dress" from 2008's Familiar Ghosts. Our Tamworth selection turns a true shade of blue, in Next Steps.

Our exploration of Tamworth 2011 continues with another mixed bag of country styles, including the fascinating country-Eastern fusion of BluGuru — check out the tabla and sitar flourishes on "Old Man in the Mill" — the machismo-myth-explodin' of Danish-born Connie Kis Andersen, tellin' it how it is on "Lounge Lizard" ("Don't want your love/cos it's the kind of love that stinks"), and the true-blue serenading of Melissa Bajric, who lets us know "I'm Aussie All Over." And, fellas, if you fancy chatting up that special country lady in a language she really understands, check out the cheeky lyrical charm of "The Great Australian Love Song" by Simply Bushed. Kick up some Tamworth dust with the Bostocks and Adam James, in Deep Cuts.

Tamworth 2011 really rocks into gear here in Deep Cuts, as Caroline Taylor-Knight tackles Texas cover "I Don't Want a Lover" with an extra portion of slinky, and brother-sister act the Bostocks offers a better class of strum-and-twang with "Done and Dusted." Sarah Carroll tips her hat in the direction of country's classic heartbreakers, and provides the perfect excuse for anyone who feels the need to cry into their beer, on "The Music Is Too Sad for Me," Rod Dowsett fertilizes the roots of sweet melancholy with "Where Roses Thrive," and Adam James — born in Macksville, raised in Brisbane — takes it upbeat with "Freedom Now Begins."

The huge lineup of artists, the 80-odd different venues, the army of buskers on Peel Street — what began as a weekend-long talent search back in the '60s is now the largest music festival in the southern hemisphere, welcoming a plethora of stars across the full gamut of country-centric genres from cowpunk and twistabilly to bluegrass and country rock. To offer a taster of the event, we've put together this selection of handpicked tunes by the scheduled performers, from the lilting tones of Troy Casser-Daley ("I Love This Place") and the sweet sound of Felicity Urquhart ("Girl in the Mall") to the funky-country meanderings the John Butler Trio ("Good Excuse") and the straight-up sass of Tracy Killeen ("Metrosexual Craze").