The GUI requirement is barebones and simplistic. There needs to be a way for 'average joe/jane user' to add/edit/delete records without them having to know diddly squat about the database, or even what a database is. The idea is we need a simple 'grid view' style applet widget that can be searched, sorted, edited as brain-dead easily as opening up your email inbox on hotmail or outlook.

This is a simple scenario like 'manage my cd collection'. No user login, concurrency or admin-console requirements... very barebones, single user desktop type stuff.

Use Access. That's what it was designed to do. Otherwise, use a spreadsheet. If you don't want fancy, then don't get fancy.

Being right, does not endow the right to be rude; politeness costs nothing.
Being unknowing, is not the same as being stupid.
Expressing a contrary opinion, whether to the individual or the group, is more often a sign of deeper thought than of cantankerous belligerence.
Do not mistake your goals as the only goals; your opinion as the only opinion; your confidence as correctness. Saying you know better is not the same as explaining you know better.

I'm with dragonchild on this one.

Access seems to meet your requirements, except for the fact that it isn't open source. If it just needs to be bare-bones simple, and Access will do everything you describe, why do you care if it is open source?