Three varied but commendable releases have graced my CD player and iPod of late from four, what you might call, elder statesman of the music world.

The first, Robert Plant’s Band Of Joy, a follow-up to the hugely successful Raising Sand of three years ago with Alison Krause. This is not a sequel, as that broke down almost before it started, but it shares a lot in common with Raising Sand.

The title is the name of a band Plant played in before Led Zeppelin, but the music bares little resemblance to that never recorded blues-psychedelia mashup and even less to Zeppelin. Plant continues his journey through Americana-based country, bluegrass, blues and Rock ‘n Roll with a small, tight ensemble, featuring Buddy Miller on a variety of stringed instruments and as band leader and co-producer with Plant, and backing vocals from Patty Griffin.

These are mostly covers, but impeccably selected beginning with the opener Angel Dance from Los Lobos that rings with glistening mandolin and acoustic and electric guitars under Plant’s effective low-key delivery, at least low-key in comparison with what he is most noted for as the quintessential rock frontman. The track in underpinned by a churning, almost dirge-like marching rhythm.

The production on most of the album has a heavy sounding bottom that gives each track a dark, menacing drive, but each song also has adeptly placed ornamentation, including mandoguitar, baritone 6-string bass, octave mandolin, banjo and pedal and lap steel that lifts the overall sound up and all of which lends an Appalachian quality to the proceedings.

There is only one original co-written by Plant and Miller, Central Two-O-Nine, and the team arranges two traditionals, Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down and Cindy, I’ll Marry You Someday, both imaginative versions meticulously executed. But Plant loves good songwriters and has an excellent ear for them.

Perhaps the highlight is Silver Rider from Zachary Micheletti, Mimi Parker and George Sparhawk of Low. The slow, powerfully building arrangement of this spare composition is a thoroughly moving experience. Miller is at his best here layering electric guitars into an overpowering soundscape with Plant’s and Griffin’s harmony beautifully matched.

The album as a whole doesn’t quite hit the level of Raising Sand, but there are other gems, including the country strains of The Only Sound That Matters from Gregory Vanderpool, Townes Van Zandt’s Harm’s Swift Way and Richard Thompson’s House Of Cards. Yes, Plant can pick songwriters.

Speaking of Thompson, his is the second in this triumvirate, Dream Attic. Thompson has to be one of the most prolific singer-songwriters seemingly releasing an album every year. Yet the quality of his songwriting doesn’t falter and his guitar playing is world class.

I opted for the double-disc limited edition that contains the entire album in demo format on the second disc. Somehow this cost me less purchased from Europe than the album sells for as a single in the U.S.

Thompson mixes his unique blend of Celtic, middle eastern, rock and jazz influences into his music and his playing and all of these are on exhibit in Dream Attic. He’s playing here with one of his touring bands, which includes long-time collaborater Pete Zorn on acoustic guitar, reed instruments, mandolin and vocals.

What’s particularly interesting about this release is that it contains all new Thompson songs but performed live in concert. That’s been done before — Jackson Browne on Running On Empty is one example — but not that often. With Thompson’s avid and longtime followers, it’s certainly no problem getting the proper repsonse from his audience. Although it’s used to definitive tunes from his extensive songbook, the new material proves quite worthy.

I prefer his uptempo tunes here and the opener The Money Shuffle, the double-time of Haul Me Up and a funkily, Celtic sounding Demons In Her Dancing Shoes place his guitar skills centerstage and as always they’re a treat, particularly live.

Other highlights include: Big Sun Falling In The River, Sidney Wells and Bad Again, all of which you’ll find are uptempo. His ballads are also poignant and penetrating, and there are more than a few sprinkled in here, but for this outing, his playing is the attraction.

We’ve saved the best for last, a collaboration between two of my favorite musicians Leon Russell and Elton John, The Union.

Little did I know nearly 40 years ago at the Fillmore East when John opened for Russell and The Shelter People that Russell was John’s idol. That night it was a case of the student outshining the teacher as John’s performance literally took almost everything out of the audience. It took Leon most of his set to build the crowd back up despite a stellar performance throughout.

As he revealed to Elvis Costello during the first season of Sundance’s Spectacle, a performance-interview show produced by John, Russell was in fact John’s hero. They had actually met weeks before the Fillmore gig in Los Angeles, where Russell sat front row for a John performance. They got together afterward and Russell instantly became a mentor to the just emerging John.

After that Costello interview John sought Russell out and they put together The Union, a perfect blending of both their talents. As much as I like John, the high marks for me here are hearing Russell again in top form from his opening composition If It Wasn’t For Bad — classic Leon — to a collaboration with John, A Dream Come True, one with lyricist Bernie Taupin, I Should Have Sent Roses, and two end-of-album tunes, Hearts Have Turned To Stone and In The Hands Of Angels.

John places a lot of the spotlight on Leon but that’s not saying he doesn’t also take a good portion of the limelight. His Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes, the album’s single, is vintage Elton John on which Leon lends a low harmony, as is Hey Ahab, a full-out John rocker. Gone To Shiloh features an unexpected vocal turn on one of the verses from Neil Young, but I prefer Russell’s vocal stylings on the Civil War-themed song.

Monkey Suit is another infectious Elton rocker in an old-time R ‘n R style with its horn section and full background vocals on the chorus.

The Best Part Of The Day, a John-Taupin tune, is one of the ballad highlights as Russell takes the vocal on the third and fourth verses with John’s harmony on top, very effective. Their voices exchanging verses is so natural. It’s a wonder they never collaborated sooner. Brian Wilson is recuited to sing and arrange vocals beautifully, evoking the Beach Boys, on When Love Is Dying.

A Dream Come True and Jimmy Rodgers’ Dream have the duo in country mode to good effect with their vocals so well-matched on Dream that you don’t notice at first when Elton takes over in the third verse.

Hearts Have Turned To Stone is another Russell tune, with Taupin, that calls back to his classic early ’70s compositions — funky, swampy, rock and rollin’ like few piano players can.

The album ends on Russell’s gorgeous, gospel-flavored In The Hands Of Angels.

Of the three, The Union hits home the truest. Although it appears Plant’s Band Of Joy is having the most chart success, reaching a high of No. 2 on Billboard’s rock chart. No matter, all three of these records are worth checking out and three of the best of the year.

Below a view of the Elton John/Leon Russell concert last month at the Beacon Theater in New York.