St Germain (aka Ludovic Navarre), whose albums Boulevard and Tourist originated a genre of French electronic music that later included artists like Air, has returned to the studio to create his first album in 15 years. The self-titled record, due October 9 on Nonesuch Records in the US, marries percussive grooves, which have always been central to St Germain’s sound, with a new element: traditional Malian music. Pre-orders of the album include an instant download of the opening track, "Real Blues," which you can hear here.

Olivia Chaney's debut album, The Longest River, is out today. The Sunday Times of London calls it "a mesmerising debut." It earns four stars from MOJO; Observer, which calls it "an enchanting, stately creation"; and Irish Times, which says it's "a beautiful job of work ... a hugely rewarding listen." The Arts Desk exclaims: "Chaney’s voice has a remarkable clarity and purity, a lyrical and emotional strength that puts her up among the best—of her generation or those who came before." Chaney performs on BBC Radio 3's In Tune today and will tour the UK in May and North America in June.

Two classics albums from World Circuit Records are now available on vinyl: the 2001 reissue of Orchestra Baobab's much sought-after 1982 debut, Pirates Choice, and Ali Farka Touré's Grammy Award-winning 1993 collaboration with Ry Cooder, Talking Timbuktu. Each is available on double 180-gram vinyl LPs from World Circuit, distributed in North America on Nonesuch Records, and can be found at your favorite local record shop and in the vinyl section of the Nonesuch Store.

When Record Store Day took place earlier this month, included among the special releases were limited-edition vinyl from two Nonesuch artists: Robert Plant's 10" vinyl EP More Roar, with three tracks from his 2014 lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar world tour, and Steve Reich's Grammy Award-winning Music for 18 Musicians re-issued on two 180-gram vinyl LPs. A very limited number of both items is now available in the Nonesuch Store.

London-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Olivia Chaney's debut album, The Longest River, is due out next week on Nonesuch Records. But you don't need to wait till then to hear it: the album is streaming in full till then at The Bluegrass Situation, and, for folks in Australia, at Rhythms. "She's already garnering mounds of praise," says The Bluegrass Situation. "Riding through The Longest River, listeners will hear why ... From Baroque folk to Norwegian jazz, Chaney's River is both wide and deep." Chaney tours the UK in May and North America in June.

As English singer/songwriter/guitarist Lianne La Havas prepares her new album, Blood, for summer release, she has premiered a new song, "Unstoppable." Hear it here and download with pre-orders of the album. Blood was inspired by her Jamaican and Greek family heritage. Lyrically, the songs she wrote are almost all related to "the feeling of who you are and where you come from," she says. Musically, she took inspiration from Jamaica's love of grooves, rhythms, and syncopation. Dancehall/reggae producer Stephen McGregor joined in the making of Blood, as did a rich collection of others.

The Staves' Justin Vernon–produced label debut, If I Was, released last month on CD and digitally, is now available on vinyl. The New York Times says the three sisters bring "angelic harmonies" to the "consistently daring" album. Stereogum calls If I Was "essential listening." The trio, currently touring Europe, has just announced a performance at Rough Trade in Brooklyn on May 11 and will perform at Vernon's Eaux Claires festival in July.

Record Store Day, the annual celebration of independent record stores, takes place this Saturday, April 18, and included among the special limited-edition vinyl releases are the Robert Plant 10" More Roar, a double LP of Steve Reich's Grammy-winning Music for 18 Musicians, and a Buena Vista Social Club 7" single.

In 2011, The Bad Plus invited saxophonist Joshua Redman to join them for a week of performances at the Blue Note in NYC. They then played a handful of dates before heading into the studio in 2014 to record their debut album, The Bad Plus Joshua Redman, due May 26 on Nonesuch (June 8 outside North America). Pre-order to download the track "Dirty Blonde," written by bassist Reid Anderson, now. Seven of the nine tracks on the album are new compositions by the quartet members who, in addition to Anderson and Redman, include The Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer David King; the other two songs on the album are new arrangements of Bad Plus favorites. The Bad Plus Joshua Redman begins a world tour in NYC June 10.

The Staves' new Justin Vernon–produced album, If I Was, is out now on CD and digitally in the US on Nonesuch Records, with vinyl due April 21. The trio brings "angelic harmonies" to the "consistently daring" album, writes the New York Times' Jon Pareles. "[T]he songs are illuminated from within." "This entire record is essential listening," raves Stereogum. "The Staveley-Taylor sisters possess the kind of voices that make able-bodied writers lose control of their capacity to avoid terms like ethereal, angelic, and otherworldly." The album earns four stars from the Guardian, Sun, MusicOMH, and Daily Mirror, which calls it "ravishing and inspired ... with astonishing vocals ... an unfailingly tender touch, freshness and natural warmth."

Newly formed Congolese seven-piece band Mbongwana Star releases its debut full-length album, From Kinshasa, on May 19 via World Circuit, distributed in North America by Nonesuch Records; vinyl follows on July 31. The band features members of a new generation of Kinshasa musicians embodying the concept of “mbongwana,” or “change.” Along with Parisian producer Doctor L, the band has created a sound that embodies the “smashed-together” nature of the surroundings from which it was born—fusing traditional Congolese rhythms with European post-punk bass and busted electronics from recycled and reconstructed instruments miked and distorted in unexpected ways. Pre-orders include an instant download of the album track "Malukayi (feat. Konono No.1)."

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell's new album, The Traveling Kind, will be released May 12 on Nonesuch Records. Rolling Stone has premiered the title track, which may be downloaded with pre-orders of the album at iTunes and in the Nonesuch Store, where CD and vinyl orders also include an exclusive, limited-edition autographed print. Produced by Joe Henry, The Traveling Kind follows the longtime friends' first duet album, 2013's Grammy Award-winning Old Yellow Moon, and comprises 11 duet tracks, including six new songs written by Harris and Crowell with co-writing by Mary Carr, Cory Chisel, Will Jennings, and Larry Klein. Harris and Crowell will play a series of intimate shows in support of the record this May, including shows in San Francisco, Napa, Chicago, NYC, and Nashville.