Natalie Merchant has kicked off her UK tour and appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. The Times of London says: "Merchant’s voice retained a pure, spine-tingling quality that turned the lullabies, fairytales and nonsense rhymes into wonderfully evocative modern folk songs." The Guardian gives a perfect five stars to her show at The Sage Gateshead: "This is an evening of the magical power of words and music ... Merchant may be in her prime."

Natalie Merchant launches her first UK tour in eight years with a sold-out show in London on Saturday. She is featured on NPR's World Cafe, discussing and performing songs from her new album, Leave Your Sleep, which host David Dye calls "extraordinary." Billboard says it "soars with gorgeous folk arrangements and Merchant's daring creativity." In the Times of London, Alain de Botton says: "It’s poignant and tuneful and the voice is, as always, sheer genius."

Caetano Veloso's new Nonesuch release, zii e zie, is the latest Staff Pick from the PRI show Studio 360. "Veloso continues to make music with the grace of a poet and the ebullience of a kid," says Studio 360, which praises the "sharp edges" added to his new work while insisting that "the jagged rock and funk flair never buries Veloso’s deep roots in samba and bossa nova." The Washington Post has published an interview with Veloso on subjects from Animal Collective to David Byrne to Michael Jackson.

Here Lies Love, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's song-cycle on the life of Imelda Marcos, is featured today on KCRW. The album track "Never So Big" has been named Today's Top Tune. The song features vocals by Sia, one of what KCRW describes as "an amazing array of artists" contributing vocals to the album.

Tony Allen's latest album, Secret Agent, was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. Allen discusses the new album and his storied career in music, not least his partnership with Fela Kuti. "Together, they basically invented an entirely new genre, Afrobeat," says host Rebecca Roberts. The show examines his early influences, what inspires him now, and how his music can run from the political to the purely celebratory.

Tony Allen and his new album, Secret Agent, were recently featured on PRI's The World. Allen discusses his role as "the man who put the beat in Afrobeat," his work with Fela Kuti, and in the many other musical idioms in which he has proven himself to be at home. The Cleveland Plain Dealer gives Secret Agent an A, saying of Allen: "On Secret Agent, his authoritative rhythms propel hypnotic, horn-blasting jams that dare you not to dance."

Following their US tour, Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau have brought their duo set to Europe for the coming week, with performances in Norway, Italy, Turkey, Belgium, France, and Switzerland. Mehldau was featured on BBC Radio 3's Radio 3 Requests, which played the Mehldau Trio's take on Oasis' "Wonderwall" from Live and spoke with Mehldau about his Guest Request Choice for the week.

Afrobeat legend Tony Allen's new album, Secret Agent, has been featured on NPR's All Songs Considered. The album comes from "the man who helped create Afrobeat with Fela Kuti," says NPR's Robin Hilton. "Tony Allen is easily one of the most gifted and influential percussionists of all time. He turns 70 years old this year, and his new solo album shows that he has no intention of slowing down."

Caetano Veloso and his latest Nonesuch release, zii e zie, are the subject of a feature profile on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. Veloso "is consistently one of the most literate and beguiling forces in music," says contributor Jacki Lyden. She describes Veloso's songwriting as "always fresh and original and very unfettered," saying simply of an album track: "It's beautiful."

Natalie Merchant's Leave Your Sleep was released last week to a number of milestones, including the No. 17 slot on the Billboard pop chart and No. 1 on the folk chart. Merchant continues to tour this weekend, including a live-audience taping of NPR's eTown. Utah's The Spectrum calls the album "a rich collection of music and poetry," on which "there's not a bad apple ... For an album this big that's quite an accomplishment." The Cleveland Scene recommends the complete album, declaring it "well worth the investment."

Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller are on today's episode of NPR's World Cafe, talking with the show's host, David Dye, and performing a few favorite tunes, including "Love Hurts" and "Red Dirt Girl." The episode comes from the 2010 Cayamo Cruise, where Harris, Miller, and a host of great songwriter/performers played for a very lucky crowd at sea for the music festival cum Caribbean cruise earlier this year.

The world has been celebrating Stephen Sondheim's recent 80th birthday in style all month and will continue to do so with upcoming events at New York City Center and Ravinia. Today, NPR's Fresh Air celebrates by talking with the composer about his great body of work, his musical influences, his writing process, and much more.