Natalie Merchant begins a three-week US tour in support of her new, self-titled album at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, NY, this Thursday, followed by stops along the East Coast and in the Midwest. "The collective feel of the music on the album still leaves room for Merchant’s trademark intimacy and honesty: no small feat," writes Hudson Valley Almanac Weekly in advance of Thursday's show. "Expect similar wire-walking brilliance when Merchant takes the show on the road." Merchant kicks off the tour as a guest on public radio's The Diane Rehm Show Wednesday and CBC's Q with Jian Ghomeshi Thursday.

David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's musical Here Lies Love, currently playing at NYC's Public Theater, will open in London this autumn. The National Theatre is producing the musical, which will be the first production in its Dorfman Theatre. Previews begin 30 September; the official Opening Night is 14 October. Performances are scheduled to run through 8 January, 2015. "I’ll be there, on the floor, for most of the rehearsals and previews," says David Byrne. "Probably singing along (to myself—though sometimes I get carried away). I suspect Norm [Cook (Fatboy Slim)] will be there sometimes, as well."

Robert Plant and his band the Sensational Space Shifters gave the Glastonbury Festival crowd "one of the most musically diverse sets of the day," says the BBC, including songs from his new album, lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar. They "concoct a fascinating hybrid of dub, jazz, afrobeat and blues well suited to such an eclectic festival," says the Telegraph, "and an appreciative audience swayed in the setting sun to blissful world groove ... Plant's still got the vocal chops and stadium charisma." The Guardian calls him "hero." Metro says "Plant still very much has the voice and all of the cool." Watch them perform a song off the new album here.

The Black Keys, who are currently touring Europe on the first leg of the Turn Blue world tour, have added several new dates to the tour in February 2015, in Zurich, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Düsseldorf. The Guardian gives four stars to the band's set at Glastonbury last night, saying "the Black Keys have got better as they've got bigger, revealing a talent for fiendishly catchy classic rock." Watch their Glastonbury performance of "Fever" here.

John Adams's new album, City Noir, which comprises the title piece and the debut recording of his Saxophone Concerto, has been named among NPR Music's 25 Favorite Albums of 2014 (So Far). "Soloist Timothy McAllister is simply outstanding," says NPR Music's Anastasia Tsioulcas. "Meanwhile, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Robertson are born naturals for this music, turning in fresh, dynamic and invigorating performances."

Ruthie Ann Miles, who plays Imelda Marcos in David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's musical Here Lies Love, and her co-star Conrad Ricamora, who plays Ninoy Aquino, were joined by a few of their fellow cast members to perform "I Am a Child of the Philippines" on Fox 5's Good Day NY this morning. Miles and Ricamora also spoke a bit about the musical, which is now playing at the Public Theater in New York City. You can watch the segment here.

The Glastonbury Festival continues through the weekend with set from Robert Plant, The Black Keys, Toumani &Sidiki Diabaté ... Bombino begins North American tour in Michigan ... Shawn Colvin concludes weeklong songwriting camp ... Jeremy Denk plays Bach & Ives in Massachusetts ... Iron and Wine plays close to home in North Carolina ... Brad Mehldau, Mark Guiliana kick off Mehliana tour in Toronto ... Pat Metheny Unity Group closes out European tour in Spain ... and more ...

Nickel Creek has unveiled a new video for "Hayloft," its cover of the Mother Mother song, off its Nonesuch Records debut album, A Dotted Line. The video, directed by Steven Mertens, premiered on The A.V. Club, which says: "The album, A Dotted Line, captured everything great about the acoustic trio without missing a beat. One song stuck out, though," and that's "Hayloft." Watch it here. NPR's Heavy Rotation has named another album track, "Destination," among its 10 Favorite Songs of the Year (So Far).

Brad Mehldau and drummer Mark Guiliana take their electric duo, Mehliana, on a three-week tour of Canada and Europe starting with a set at the Toronto Jazz Festival this Saturday and at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on Wednesday. Mehliana—Mehldau on Fender Rhodes and vintage synthesizers and Guiliana on drums and effects—then launches a fortnight of shows in Europe on July 5, with dates in France, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland.

Joshua Redman's new album, Trios Live, is a "sax fan's dream of a live set," says the Guardian in a four-star review. "Joshua Redman, one of the most technically accomplished saxists in jazz today, parades his powers on this live set ... [He] performs with a skill that sometimes justifies comparison with early Sonny Rollins—notably on the old Rollins vehicle 'Moritat (Mack the Knife),'" and "the crowd goes wild." Jazzwise writes: "Anyone who's seen Redman, especially live, will know about his forceful sonic presence and eloquence at reinvigorating a familiar jazz language while always remaining mindful of its more contemporary shifts." 

Composer/pianist Timo Andres and The Knights orchestra performed his re-composition of Mozart's "Coronation" Concerto in NYC's Central Park on Tuesday. The New York Times says Andres's left-hand completion of Mozart's work "felt necessary—not a lark but a surprisingly moving dazzler." Andres's cadenzas "were masterly—the one at the end of the third movement receded to daring delicacy and expansiveness—and the slow central movement ached with nostalgia for a softer past while embracing the angularity of the present."

Robert Plant’s new album, lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar, will be released September 9 on Nonesuch/Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Plant, the album is his label debut and features 11 new recordings, nine of which are original songs written by Plant with his band, The Sensational Space Shifters. Pre-orders are available now at robertplant.com and include a limited-edition print and an instant download of an album track. Plant and the band will tour this fall. Watch an album preview here.