Ali and Toumani, the second and last album pairing kora master Toumani Diabaté with the late guitar virtuoso Ali Farka Touré, has made the Metacritic list of the best-reviewed, highest-scoring albums of 2010, coming in at No. 5. "On Metacritic, we consider 'great' albums—those we label as having 'universal acclaim' from critics—to be those with a Metascore of 81 or greater," says the site. Ali and Toumani received an 89.

Wanda Jackson's The Party Ain't Over isn't due out for two weeks still, set for release on January 25, but the BBC review is out now and calling the album "rich, warm, big-hearted and hilarious ... a sumptuous, brassy stew of country and blues." Producer Jack White "may, at this late stage, have brought the very best out of Jackson," says the BBC. Tune in to the Grand Ole Opry this Saturday to hear Jackson and the Third Man House Band, featuring White on guitar.

The Black Keys continued their late-night television run with another rocking performance of "Howlin' for You," off their latest Nonesuch release, Brothers, on the Late Show with David Letterman last night on CBS, following this past weekend's performance of "Howlin' for You" and "Tighten Up" on Saturday Night Live. Watch the Late Show performance here.

The Low Anthem will be the guests on WNYC's Soundcheck today, performing songs from their forthcoming album, Smart Flesh. The band is in New York to play a sold-out concert for Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, then heads West to perform at the Sundance Film Festival and to Los Angeles for a show with Iron & Wine. Following an intimate set for a home-state crowd this past weekend, the Visible Voice blog says Ben Knox Miller "is leading the pack in a new generation of songwriters."

Renée Fleming comes to Carnegie Hall this week, accompanied by Hartmut Höll, for a performance that includes songs from Brad Mehldau's The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, featuring the poetry of Rainer Marie Rilke, as heard on Mehldau and Fleming's 2006 album Love Sublime. The Washington Post said of Fleming's performance at The Kennedy Center on Saturday that the program "showcased her gifts beautifully." Mehldau performs his Highway Rider at Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA next week and offers a solo program at Carnegie Hall later this month.

Punch Brothers kick off their 2011 tour schedule next week with two shows in Massachusetts. The Boston Globe spoke with Chris Thile about the band, which it describes as "the rare band of musicians who are all virtuosos in their own right. Progressive bluegrass is the shorthand for what they do, but that doesn’t capture the music’s full scope." The Boston Herald calls them a "progressive bluegrass supergroup" that has "fast become the hottest pickers in the land."

John Adams's 1987 opera Nixon in China receives its Met premiere on February 2, with the composer on the podium and Peter Sellars directing. To coincide with this momentous occasion, Nonesuch will reissue the Grammy-winning original cast recording in a newly redesigned and specially-priced three-CD set with new notes by Adams and Sellars. Among the events marking the production are a conversation with Sellars at the Asia Society; a preview with Adams, Sellars, and cast members hosted by WQXR; and a conversation at the Met with the creators. The February 12 performance of Nixon in China will be broadcast live in movie theaters around the world.

Wanda Jackson has added further live dates to her upcoming, sold-out New York City and Los Angeles record release shows. The newly announced tour dates include a Grand Ole Opry performance in Nashville, a second Los Angeles show, a return to New York, and stops in Philadelphia, Boston, DC, and Dallas. Jackson is scheduled to perform with Jack White & The Third Man House Band on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 20 and Conan on January 25.

Jessica Lea Mayfield's Nonesuch debut album, Tell Me, produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, is due out in just over a month, February 8, and is available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store with an autographed 7” of the album’s first single. SPIN names Mayfield on of the 5 Best New Artists for January. Pitchfork has included Tell Me in its list of Records to Look Forward to in Winter 2011. American Songwriter has it in its list of Ten Albums We're Excited for in 2011, saying, "It's made up of twelve of Mayfield’s 'personal inner monologues,' and mixes emotional ballads with intelligent pop ditties."

Youssou N'Dour has been named among the world's 50 Great Voices according to NPR, a diverse list that also includes Björk, Asha Bhosle, Billie Holiday, Maria Callas, Robert Plant, and dozens of others—"awe-inspiring vocalists from around the world and across time." On NPR's All Things Considered, contributor Banning Eyre says that throughout his long and varied career, "N'Dour has remained on top, without question Senegal's most beloved singer."

Sara Watkins and her brother Sean were featured on NPR's Folk Alley over the holiday week. Sara discussed the many projects with she has been involved since her earliest days in Nickel Creek, not least her 2009 self-titled Nonesuch debut album, from which the two perform a number of songs live. She will guest-host A Prairie Home Companion on January 15 and will tour with The Decemberists starting later this month.

As 2010 draws to a close, and the Nonesuch Journal takes a bit of a hiatus till the start of 2011, it's time to take a look back and remember all the great and diverse music made by Nonesuch artists this year. Several of these artists and their 2010 Nonesuch releases were nominated for Grammy Awards; many have made music critics' year-end best lists. Here is a look back.