Donnacha Dennehy's The Hunger, which explores Ireland's Great Famine, is out now on Nonesuch Records. Performed by Alarm Will Sound led by Alan Pierson, soprano Katherine Manley, and sean nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, the libretto draws from first-hand accounts by American humanitarian Asenath Nicholson. The Hunger "bears hearing and rehearing," said the Washington Post. "It is powerful, and it makes a statement." 

Randy Newman has announced an international An Evening with Randy Newman tour for 2020, beginning with Australia and New Zealand in January and February—his first tour of Australia since 2011, and his first ever tour of New Zealand. Further dates, in Europe in spring 2020, will be announced shortly.

Robert Finley returned to America's Got Talent on NBC for the quarter finals last night to perform a brand-new song, "Starting to See." You can watch his performance, which once again wowed the audience and the judges, here.

The first recording of Donnacha Dennehy's The Hunger—performed by Alarm Will Sound led by Alan Pierson, soprano Katherine Manley, and sean nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird—is out this Friday. Alarm Will Sound has shared a short film in which the composer and performers tell the story behind the piece. "It's not just really about the Irish Famine. It's about any kind of unfolding catastrophe that's complicated by political ideas of 'the other,'" says Dennehy. "This happens throughout the world still to this day. We don't have to look very hard for parallels, I'm afraid." You can watch the short film here.

Yola has joined The Highwomen—Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, and Maren Morris—on the just-released self-titled track to the group's eponymous upcoming album, as does Sheryl Crow. Shires and Carlile wrote the song with Jimmy Webb, who had penned the 1985 tune "Highwayman" for the supergroup by that name featuring Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash. Hear it here. Rolling Stone called The Highwomen's recent Newport Folk Festival set with Yola "a triumph" and dubbed her "the single most sought-after voice at this year’s festival."

David Byrne was in Boston last week ahead of the pre-Broadway run of his American Utopia at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre in September. He spoke with Robin Young, co-host of NPR's Here & Now, about the project in an event at WBUR's new CitySpace last Thursday. You can watch the conversation here. David Byrne’s American Utopia plays at Broadway's Hudson Theatre from October 4 through January 19.

Daughter of Swords stopped by WNYC Studios as the guest on New Sounds' Soundcheck today to talk with host John Schaefer about her debut album, Dawnbreaker, and perform three songs from it: "Long Leaf Pine," "Fields of Gold," and "Human." "As with the songs that you wrote for the last Mountain Man record, there is a very timeless, old, really deep folk sound," says Schaefer. See for yourself in the session here.

Rachael & Vilray have shared a quick behind-the-scenes look at the making of their self-titled debut album, due October 4. It shows the duo in the studio in Brooklyn with pianists Jon Batiste and Akie Bermiss, drummer Jason Burger, and bassist Tony Scherr, all set to songs from the forthcoming album. "People have music that makes them feel something," Batiste says in the video. "That's the music you can play anywhere and everywhere, because it comes from the heart. It brings people a sense of humanity." Watch it here.

Daughter of Swords has extended her US tour to include dates with Wilco and Joan Shelley this fall. In addition, the tour includes dates with Sylvan Esso, Hiss Golden Messenger, Molly Tuttle, and Molly Sarlé, as well as headlining shows in Brooklyn, DC, and Asheville this week. Also out today is a lyric video for "Easy Is Hard," from Daughter of Swords' debut album, Dawnbreaker. Watch the video, with drawings by Sauser-Monnig animated by Robert Edridge-Waks, here.

Natalie Merchant was on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She performed 10,000 Maniacs' "These Are Days," joined by The Roots, and gave an intimate online-exclusive performance of her song "Motherland." You can watch both here. Merchant also spoke with John Wilson for the podcast These Three about three songs: one she wrote, one she wishes she'd written, and one she's working on now. Her two-week, sold-out US tour concludes in Hudson, NY, tonight. 

The Black Keys debuted a live version of "Go," the second single off their ninth studio album "Let's Rock," via Rolling Stone. For the performance, they are joined by their touring band, Andrew Gabbard and Delicate Steve on guitar, and Zachary Gabbard on bass. The video, taped at a recent rehearsal in front of a small audience made up of members of the band's fan club, provides a behind-the-scenes look and a preview of their upcoming "Let's Rock" tour, which kicks off on September 23 at Denver's Pepsi Center. Watch it here.

Mountain Man, while on its US Magic Ship tour, performed a Birmingham concert captured for the public television program Subcarrier. You can watch it here. "Mountain Man blends complex harmonies and delivers a melodic experience equal parts peaceful and powerful," says the show. "Three voices, a potent dose of musical chemistry, (and sometimes a guitar for good measure), coalesce in this extraordinary performance."