When Sara Watkins was in New York City earlier this month, she stopped by public radio station WFUV's Studio A to record an episode of Words and Music, out now. Watkins spoke with host Claudia Marshall about her life in music and performs a few songs off her new album, Sun Midnight Sun, with her brother Sean. Watch their performance of "Take Up Your Spade" and "The Foothills" and listen to the complete Words and Music episode here.

Sara Watkins is today's guest on NPR's World Café. On the show, Watkins talks with host David Dye about her new album, Sun Midnight Sun, and is joined by her brother Sean to perform three songs from the album as well as two tunes from her self-titled debut solo album. Earlier this month, Watkins appeared on WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show; listen to it here.

Sara Watkins performed at the 2012 Newport Folk Festival over the weekend, and NPR Music was there to capture the set. Watkins performed songs from her self-titled solo debut album and her latest album, Sun Midnight Sun, which NPR’s Stephen Thompson calls “a smart, surprising collection of sweetly hooky songs that rest within pop, country and folk on the Venn diagram of musical genres.” Listen to the set now at npr.org. Sara Watkins continues her tour as special guest of Jackson Browne with two shows at NYC's Beacon Theatre this weekend.

Sara Watkins kicked off a months-long tour as special guest of Jackson Browne over the weekend. "Cheerful and charming, Watkins was totally at ease," says the Charleston City Paper of Sunday's show. "Watkins also handled the melodies and harmonies with cool authority, and she dazzled with several fiddle solos that demonstrated her virtuosity." Her new album, Sun Midnight Sun, on which Browne makes a guest appearance, is due out on vinyl next Tuesday, July 24, and is available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store.

Sara Watkins begins a months-long tour as special guest of Jackson Browne this weekend; she also joins A Prairie Home Companion at LA's Hollywood Bowl for its final show of the season. The LA Times, reviewing a recent Watkins set, says: "Touring in support of her excellent new album," she performed "well-crafted, honest fiddle, guitar and drum music that drew not only on the bluegrass tradition but also hinted at old-time string band tunes, tossed in a touch of Texas swing, a little dose of rock and a certain Watkins family confidence that finds sustenance in adventure."

Last week, the staff at NPR Music announced their 25 Favorite Albums of 2012 (So Far), including Dr. John's Locked Down and Jeremy Denk's Ligeti/Beethoven. NPR listeners have now weighed in. Their list of the year's best albums (so far) includes those two albums and adds Amadou & Mariam's Folila, Sara Watkins' Sun Midnight Sun, and the new album of works by Krzysztof Penderecki and Jonny Greenwood. Says NPR: "The poll results reconfirmed that we've got another great year of music on our hands."

Sara Watkins, who brought her spring tour to a close with three performances over the weekend, has now added a string of new fall dates as special guest of Jackson Browne on his US Acoustic Tour. The tour, which begins this summer on July 14 in Charlotte, North Carolina, runs through mid-August, before picking up again mid-October and ending on November 15 in Colorado Springs. Browne makes a special guest appearance on Watkins' new album, Sun Midnight Sun.

Sara Watkins' video for the song "Take Up Your Spade," the closing track off her new album, Sun Midnight Sun, has premiered on the Los Angeles Times Pop & Hiss blog, which describes the song as "a gentle benedictory ode to the notion that every moment brings with it the possibility of renewal." The video was shot at the recording session for the new album by director Reid Long and features guest vocalists Jackson Browne and Fiona Apple and producer Blake Mills. Watch it here.

Sara Watkins performed "When It Pleases You," off her new album, Sun Midnight Sun, on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS last Thursday. In case you missed it or want to see it again, you can watch the performance here. Watkins and fellow Nonesuch artist Shawn Colvin joined Garrison Keillor and the cast of A Prairie Home Companion for the show this weekend, now available online. Watkins performs "You and Me" and "Take Up Your Spade" off the new album; Colvin plays "Change Is on the Way," off her new album, All Fall Down.

Sara Watkins, whose new album, Sun Midnight Sun, was released earlier this month in North America and will be released worldwide on Monday, celebrates the occasion with a performance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Tune in to CBS tonight at 12:35 AM ET to see Watkins perform "When It Pleases You" off the new album. Also on tonight's show: Alfred Molina. Watkins performs on A Prairie Home Companion this weekend.

The Sara Watkins–penned tune "You and Me," off her new album, Sun Midnight Sun, has been chosen as Today's Top Tune by KCRW in LA. The song, which Watkins recently performed on The Tonight Show, features harmony vocals by Jackson Browne, with whom she tours later this summer. Watkins, one of the most frequent guest artists on A Prairie Home Companion, will join host Garrison Keillor and fellow guest Shawn Colvin for a live broadcast of the show from Wolf Trap's Filene Center outside DC this weekend.

Tune in to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight to see Sara Watkins perform "You and Me," off her just-released album, Sun Midnight Sun. The Wrap gives the album glowing marks. "If Levon Helm's passing put you in an Americana mood, but you're not sure younger generations have as much to bring to roots-based music as their elders," writes the Reuters-syndicated site, "proceed directly to the superb sophomore effort by Sara Watkins. Not that Sun Midnight Sun will only be a balm to suffering Band fans; it might be the finest album of the year so far in any genre."