John Adams’s latest Nonesuch album pairs his Son of Chamber Symphony with his String Quartet. The album receives four stars from the Times of London, which calls it "polished and vibrant"; the Guardian, which says that “both works are given exactly the kind of high-octane performances that Adams's instrumental music demands"; and MusicOMH, which calls it “a fine pair of works to complete the next chapter in Adams’ considerable recorded legacy.” Adams's 1991 opera The Death of Klinghoffer is also receiving praise in its new production at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Pat Metheny's new album, What's It All About, was released yesterday on Nonesuch. MSN Music, which continues to stream the album in full, has now premiered the video of Metheny performing the Beatles classic "And I Love Her." You can also listen to the album in full this week at AOL Music and on Spinner. The Philadelphia Daily News says: "The ever-surprising Pat Metheny does it again with What's It All About." The Seattle Post Intelligencer says Metheny's latest "provides fundamental context to his craftsmanship."

Among the more memorable moments of this weekend's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival were sets from The Black Keys, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Wanda Jackson, and The Low Anthem. Whether performing on the festival’s largest What Stage, or in one of three intimate festival tents, Nonesuch artists conquered the infamous Bonnaroo dust and heat to deliver noteworthy performances. Among the highlights was what Rolling Stone called a "supersized and stunning" main-stage debut from The Black Keys, "the perfect soundtrack as the sun was setting.”

Chris Thile and Michael Daves have announced a short run of tour dates in the Midwest in September, stopping in Ann Arbor, Urbana, and Chicago. These follow summer festival sets at Telluride, Grey Fox, and Newport and a headline set in Brooklyn. Relix calls their debut album, Sleep with One Eye Open, a "boisterous tribute to their bluegrass roots," one that "literally crackles with youthful energy." The review concludes: "If bluegrass ever needs another revival, this future classic is more than enough to keep the flame lit."

What's It All About, Pat Metheny's forthcoming sequel to his first solo baritone-guitar effort, One Quiet Night, features classic tunes from songwriters like Paul Simon, Lennon & McCartney, Burt Bacharach, and Henry Mancini. "With What's It All About," says All About Jazz, "Metheny's ability to think outside the box never comes at the expense of losing sight of it, making music that's easy and accessible, but with deeper layers simmering just beneath its calm surface." In a new video posted here, Metheny introduces the new album by performing a number of tracks and discussing the album's inspiration.

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang brought their UK tour to a close with a performance at Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland, last night. The tour included two shows at London's Royal Festival Hall, to which the Guardian gives four stars. "lang is a beaming and ebullient figure tonight," says the Guardian. "k.d. lang's mojo has clearly been firmly relocated." The Evening Standard says "she's discovered how to have a ball, without sacrificing the passion that underpins her work ... How could anyone not fall a little in love?"

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang kicked off their UK tour with a performance in Birmingham to which the Times of London gives four stars, describing "lang's gorgeous voice" as "a versatile weapon of mass seduction." The tour hits London tonight for the first of two nights at the Royal Festival Hall. The North American tour begins in two weeks. lang recently spoke with the Huffington Post about her new album, Sing it Loud, to which Canada's StarPhoenix gives five stars, calling it "a winning amalgam of lang's many, many musical influences."

John Adams's new album, featuring his Son of Chamber Symphony and String Quartet, is out today. The first piece, deemed "dangerously exhilarating" by the Financial Times, is performed on the album by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), led by the composer. The second, which the Philadelphia Inquirer calls "a knockout," is performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet. Audiophile Audition gives the album a perfect five stars: "This is a magnificent addition to the Adams’ discography that will win him new fans. The performance and recording are exemplary, a real feast for the ears and your stereo system."

Randy Newman played two shows at the Arizona Biltmore this weekend, performing songs from throughout his career, including his latest album, Songbook Vol. 2. "Newman isn't just a songwriter, he's an entertainer," says the Phoenix New Times. "He knows how to tug the heartstrings, knows when to crack a smile, and knows that satire is often the best way to drive a point home." Newman discussed the new album with the Huffington Post, which calls it "wonderful," and with the A.V. Club, which cites his "penchant for deft, multivalent satire." The Irish Times gives the album five stars.

James Farm band mates Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman, and Eric Harland continue their tour across Europe, with stops in Norway, France, and Benelux before returning to the US for four nights at NY's Jazz Standard in June. JazzTimes, in a review of James Farm's self-titled debut album, says: "The band reaches out to a wider world through 10 diverse, intriguing originals that boast melodic clarity, rhythmic allure and improvisational concision ... James Farm is a very cool album."

Jessica Lea Mayfield's "Our Hearts Are Wrong," the opening track off her album Tell Me, has been named American Songwriter's Lyric of the Week. Relix, in its review of Tell Me, says Mayfield "twists her country roots into contemporary alternative rock that even folds in bits of hip-hop, psychedelic-soul and electro-pop without ever stretching too far for comfort ... always keeping the focus on Mayfield’s hypnotic, timeless and vulnerable vocals." KDHX in St. Louis calls her recent performance there "stunning ... with a mix of hauntingly gorgeous vocals and feedback-laden guitar wizardry."

Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy's Grá agus Bás receives a perfect five stars from the Guardian, which calls the title piece "remarkable ... a piece of startling freshness." That the Night Come, also on the new album and sung by Dawn Upshaw, "is exquisitely shaped and perfectly conceived for Upshaw's voice." Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed calls the title piece "rapturous" and says "Upshaw gets at the heart of Yeats’ sad, haunted beauty" of That the Night Come.