The Carolina Chocolate Drops release a four-song EP today, a collaboration with the New York City–based Romanian gypsy punk band Luminescent Orchestrii and beatboxer Adam Matta. "More than anything, this collaboration is a tribute to the power of music to bring people together," says No Depression. The Chocolate Drops’ begin their tour next week on Lincoln Center’s prestigious American Songbook; Matta and multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins join the band on the road.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops' Genuine Negro Jig has landed at No. 4 on the Top 10 album list from San Jose Mercury News, which also includes Eminem, Kanye West, and Big Boi. No Depression says: "The dramatic success of this young trio over the past year is well-deserved (including their Grammy nomination)." In honor of that Grammy nod and all the year-end accolades, we're offering a free download of the Genuine Negro Jig track "Trouble in Your Mind." Enjoy!

The Black Keys' Brothers lands at No. 2 on NPR's All Songs Considered listeners' picks of The Best Music of 2010. Also on the list are Carolina Chocolate Drops' Genuine Negro Jig and Ben Folds and Nick Hornby's Lonely Avenue. All Songs Considered producer Robin Hilton says of Brothers: "I think this is their fattest, richest, most sonically diverse album that they've done." Philip Selway's Familial has made the NPR All Songs Considered list for Best Album Covers of 2010. Carolina Chocolate Drops' Genuine Negro Jig is No. 4 on the Americana Music Association's Top 100 Albums of the Year.

Congratulations to all the Nonesuch artists who were nominated for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, announced last night by The Recording Academy: The Black Keys, Laurie Anderson, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers, Stephen Sondheim, and World Circuit / Nonesuch Records artists Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. Together, these artists' 2010 releases garnered an impressive 11 nominations, including a remarkable six nominations for The Black Keys' latest Nonesuch release, Brothers. Hear music from all the nominees on Nonesuch Radio.

The Black Keys' and Carolina Chocolate Drops' latest releases—Brothers and Genuine Negro Jig, respectively—have made NPR's 50 Favorite Albums of 2010 and Paste's 50 Best Albums of 2010. "While Brothers marks a turning point for The Black Keys," NPR explains, "it also reaffirms the duo as an important fixture in contemporary blues-rock." NPR says of the Chocolate Drops: their "energy is so infectious, it's virtually impossible not to be drawn in."

Carolina Chocolate Drops kick off the latest leg of their world tour, this time back in the US, following their recent tour of Europe. The band will soon be joined by The Low Anthem for a five-show swing through the South, after which The Low Anthem will join Emmylou Harris on the Grand Ole Opry at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. The Charlotte Observer includes the Carolina Chocolate Drops' Genuine Negro Jig in its 2010 Holiday Gift Guide.

The nominations are in for the fRoots Critics Poll of Best New Album of 2010, and among them are the Carolina Chocolate Drops and several artists on the World Circuit/Nonesuch roster: AfroCubism, Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, and Cheikh Lô. This year marks the 25th annual fRoots Critics Poll. The winners will be announced in BBC Radio 3's World on 3 on December 3.

Nonesuch releases its second record from North Carolina-based string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops—a four-song EP—on January 25. The record is a collaboration with the New York City–based Romanian gypsy punk band Luminescent Orchestrii. This self-titled EP is now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store, where the first 100 copies of the CD and the first 100 copies on vinyl will be signed by the Chocolate Drops. All pre-orders include an instant download of the record’s opening track, “Short Dress Gal.”

The Low Anthem and Carolina Chocolate Drops have been selected to perform as part of Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook, which celebrates the diversity of American popular song, from the golden age of musical standards to today’s most dynamic songwriting. The Low Anthem perform on January 13, Carolina Chocolate Drops on February 2, in the Allen Room, overlooking Central Park. The two bands are set to tour together in December.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops have been named to The Root 100, the "list of young achievers and pace setters for 2010" from The Root, which says of the performers on the list: "We like them because they lift black music out of the box into which some critics try to shove it." The Boston Phoenix describes the band's recent Boston show as "a beauty ... The crowd were standing and packed, and hooting and hollering from the beginning." They conclude their US tour this weekend, then head to Europe.

San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was teeming with hundreds of thousands of music fans this past weekend for the 10th annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. Among the artists contributing to what Rolling Stone called an "eclectic and vital" event were T Bone Burnett, Punch Brothers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Randy Newman, and Emmylou Harris. You can see several photos from their performances at nonesuch.com/media.

Carolina Chocolate Drops and The Low Anthem will tour together for six dates over one week this December. The tour will begin December 4 at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, followed by stops in Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee, before heading to the Drops' home state of North Carolina for shows in Asheville, Charlotte, and Raleigh. Ticket pre-sales for Chocolate Drops fans begin on Tuesday.