Nonesuch Records has signed California-based singer/songwriter Nataly Dawn, one half of the duo Pomplamoose. Dawn’s solo album, How I Knew Her, which was financed by the more than $100,000 raised from her Kickstarter campaign, is scheduled for release on January 22, 2013, with a tour to follow. Pomplamoose, whose other half is Dawn’s partner Jack Conte, has released numerous original songs and covers since 2008 as “VideoSongs” via their YouTube channel; Dawn has released solo VideoSongs and collaborations on her YouTube channel as well.

Ry Cooder’s new album, Election Special is out now in the US. "A guitar great takes a shot at political satire and hits the mark," exclaims Rolling Stone in a four-star review. "Election Special is protest music delivered with a patriot’s gifts—the American-roots beauty and expert fire in Ry Cooder’s playing—and long memory." The album earns four stars from MSN as well, where it is streaming in full this week. Cooder, says MSN, "has returned to early, deep roots in American folk to forge the most impassioned music of his 50-year career."

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.

With the recent release of Unity Band, Pat Metheny introduced a new ensemble featuring Chris Potter on sax and bass clarinet, Antonio Sanchez on drums, and Ben Williams on bass. All About Jazz described the record as "unequivocally one of Metheny's finest—an album that's sure to find its way to 'best of' lists for 2012." Now, All About Jazz has dedicated a week to the project, offering Catching Up With feature articles on all four band members. The Unity Band resumes its US tour on Saturday, September 1.

Ry Cooder’s new album, Election Special, is out this week. With its UK release today, having previously earned four stars from Mojo, Election Special has received four-star reviews from the Guardian, Independent, Independent on Sunday, Financial Times, and Scotland on Sunday, as well as the Irish Times. "After last year's magnificent Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, Ry Cooder returns to the political arena with a vengeance," says the Guardian, which calls it "an entertaining, thoughtful and bravely original set." The Independent on Sunday says Cooder's latest albums "represent the most cogent work of his long career."

Carolina Chocolate Drops, who resume their tour at the Rhythm & Roots Festival in Rhode Island on September 1, are featured on Concrete Country, CMT's celebration of roots music. The band hit the streets of Nashville to perform three songs for the set, opening with a traditional tune, followed by "Country Girl," off their new album, Leaving Eden, and "Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine," off their Grammy Award–winning Nonesuch debut album, Genuine Negro Jig. Watch all three performances here.

Nonesuch releases Jonny Greenwood’s soundtrack to writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film The Master on September 11, 2012. The soundtrack comprises 11 compositions by Greenwood along with four recordings from the post–World War II era in which the film is set. Performers include the London Contemporary Orchestra, AUKSO Chamber Orchestra, and Ella Fitzgerald, among others. Nonesuch Store pre-orders include an instant download of Greenwood’s "Application 45 Version 1" from the album.

Amadou & Mariam bring their North American tour to a close with a free performance on the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, as part of the Twilight Concert Series. The show follows tour stops at festivals like Lollapalooza, Central Park SummerStage, Outside Lands, Edmonton Folk, and Osheaga, in addition to headlining shows at theaters and clubs. The Los Angeles Times, in a feature previewing Thursday's show, calls their new album, Folila, "the culmination of a midlife rise to the top strata of the world music scene in Africa, Europe and North America."

London-based singer Lianne La Havas has announced details for her first North American tour promoting her highly praised debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?. She will join nine-time Grammy Award winner John Legend on 14 dates across the US, in addition to her previously announced September headline shows: September 11 at Bowery Ballroom in New York and September 13 at Le Belmont in Montreal. The New Yorker has described her live show as "stunning."

Ry Cooder recently spoke with the Guardian about a wide range of issues, including the Republican party and Mitt Romney; corporate influence on the political system and the world at large; and the power of music, including that of his new album, Election Special, to affect change. "[W]hat I'm trying to do with these little songs I write is say: let's look at this a different way. I don't write books and give speeches but with a four-minute song you can use allegory and other means to suggest a different point of view," says Cooder. "Music is the way that I know. It's the thing I have."

Dawn Upshaw has been named one of five honorees to receive the 2012 Opera News Awards, which will be presented at a gala ceremony in New York City on April 21, 2013, to benefit the education programs of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. “Dawn Upshaw represents the highest ideals of pristine musicianship, intellectual curiosity, and artistic integrity," says Opera News. She spoke with CBC Music about the award and more, including her Nonesuch recording of Górecki's Symphony No. 3, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. 

Lianne La Havas' debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, was featured on NPR's All Things Considered last night. "[S]ometimes all it takes to snap me out of a late-summer heat coma," says NPR's Tom Moon, "is the sound of a new and electrifying voice—like that of Lianne La Havas." The Los Angeles Times calls the album "sublime," saying: "[W]ith Is Your Love Big Enough?, Miss La Havas vaults right to the big leagues. Repeated listenings only prove how strong and artful this collection is."