"We felt pretty powerless in trying to help with the situation in tsunami-affected regions," says Rikki Ramsden, co-founder of Attagirl Records in Thornton. "It was actually Jan Marvel one day, like January 27, who said, 'we have to do something to help.' So on January 28, we had a big meeting, got everyone together, and decided as a label, with her help and whoever's help we could get, that we would launch this album."

"Tsunami Relief Project: A Musical Compilation To Benefit Tsunami Survivors" was born.

Attagirl Records will release the singer/songwriter-driven CD this month. It features 17 songs courtesy of 16 artists. They come from near-Marvel, Joyce Andersen, Tom Dean, Randy Roos, Randy Armstrong-and far-Aztec Two-Step, Rebecca Martin, Neon Venus, Crosby Loggins and Nathan McEuen.

All the music was compiled from existing CDs and donated by the artists, and much of the production work and support services were donated as well. All profits after the limited expenses are paid will be donated to CARE International.

Ramsden said they sought an aid agency in which a high percentage of donated funds would go to the cause, rather than to administrative overhead, and an agency that "didn't have a political agenda in any region on Earth."

"CARE, in their annual report for 2004, donated 92 percent of all received funds to various efforts around the globe. In regards to the tsunami-affected region, they already had a strong presence there, with health and education efforts to help lessen poverty. They're very well known for ... helping people get on their feet so the next generation might do a little better," Ramsden said.

In the areas affected by the tsunami, CARE's five-year plan includes rebuilding 8,000 homes, schools and community buildings and helping people to regain their livelihoods by low-cost donations of supplies.

CARE is still considering whether the Attagirl release will be an official CARE-marketed project, but Ramsden said they're going ahead while they wait to hear. Attagirl is initially pressing 2,500 CDs. They'll start marketing locally, supplying stores on the Seacoast and around New Hampshire, then expand to other parts of New England.

The CD will be available for $15 at www.attagirlrecords.com, as will $15 T-shirts, and both will be available for sale at concert events.