The most powerful spells that make you dance. “Avalon,” by American folklorists Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, who published on the Italian border, practice that kind of alchemy. Featuring Justin Robinson (of Giddens’ former band Carolina Chocolate Drops), the song springs to the edge of death: As she, Turrisi, and guitarist Niwel Tsumbu lock into each other’s rhythms, Giddens plays the role. a person who is mourning by the grave suddenly can see the afterlife. As the only original song from Giddens and Turrisi’s wonderful album, They’re Calling Me Home, “Avalon” opens the portal to a collection of homecoming and homecoming songs. On its own, it is a prayer that goes beyond religion, in tune with earthly joy. —Ann Authority