It’s been a little more than two decades since Tommy Emmanuel and his hero, Chet Atkins, recorded their album of duets, The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World. Atkins recognized a gift he’d rarely seen in the young Australian guitarist, and bestowed the honorarium of C.G.P., Certified Guitar Player on his disciple. (He’s one of only a small handful to receive the designation.) Today, Emmanuel has 30 albums of his own behind him, and while he’s certainly recorded numerous duets (including last year’s Pickin’ album with mandolinist David Grisman), this new set allows Emmanuel to display his virtuosity and range more fully over 16 tracks of intimate collaborations. The list of partners is rather impressive: Mark Knopfler on the David Brombergesque, lazy-day country blues “You Don’t Want to Get You One of Those,” ukulele maestro Jake Shimabukuro trading sweet licks with the guitarist on “Rachel’s Lullaby” and Ricky Skaggs harmonizing closely on “Song and Dance Man.” There are several jaw-dropping surprises too: You’ve never imagined Madonna’s “Borderline” as an emotional roots ballad, but wait till you hear what Amanda Shires and Emmanuel do with it; and Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” as a vehicle for lickety-split solos from Emmanuel and Jerry Douglas is truly wild. Above all though, it’s the leader’s constant resourcefulness and sheer judiciousness that shines through: Tommy Emmanuel can outplay just about anyone, yet he never needs to. Give him a song, sit him behind the mic with like-minded folks, and good things just happen.