Given the number of ardent fans Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd has developed over the years, it's understandable that some questions might follow the buzz about the upcoming Tim Burton–directed film version starring Johnny Depp. Like, "Can Johnny sing?" Now you can see, and hear, for yourself, in this video of Johnny in the recording studio, discussing his early concerns and proving them wrong with a performance of "Epiphany."

The CMJ chart numbers have been released, and Youssou N'Dour's Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take) moves up ten slots—the week's biggest mover—to hit No. 1 on the New World chart. Youssou performs tonight and tomorrow night at NYC's Nokia Theatre as part of the Great African Ball. 

Singer k.d. lang stopped by the set of the popular British TV talk show Parkinson last Saturday to perform the new song "I Dream of Spring," off her upcoming Nonesuch release, Watershed, due out in February. The show's host, Michael Parkinson, a mainstay in the UK for more than 35 years, will be retiring at the end of the year. As the series winds down, he's asked his favorite guests to come back on for the last few shows, and k.d. is among them.

The Tim Burton–directed film version of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp hits theaters across the country next month. Catch a glimpse of what's in store in the film's trailer here.

In the midst of a tour across the US, Caetano Veloso stopped for two nights in NYC, where he performed songs from throughout his career, focusing on his latest album, Cê, for packed crowds at the Nokia Theatre. "Lyrically, much of Cê is unabashedly carnal," says the New York Times. "Yet Mr. Veloso’s voice carries an abiding tenderness, and he sounded nearly as alluring on bitter new tunes (like 'Rocks,' a natural closer) as on vintage fare ('Sampa,' a natural singalong)."

"Confident and charismatic, he's a dynamic performer regardless of the style of music he's playing, a smart, stirring songwriter and a remarkable vocalist," says the Wall Street Journal's review of Youssou N'Dour's show in Miami on Friday. "N'Dour's voice is stunning, elastic and powerful." The Washington Post's review of Monday's show at the Kennedy Center, titled "Star of Dakar—and the World," exclaims that N'Dour "demonstrated that his reputation as one of the world's greatest singers is not hyperbole.

Congratulations to Ry Cooder, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist by the Americana Music Association (AMA), in a ceremony held earlier this month at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

With iPods now holding up to 160 gigabytes of your favorite music, it might not be such a bad idea to start thinking of the 1,000 or so albums you just can't live without. Or, as the Guardian (UK) has put it, the 1,000 albums you must hear before you die. All this week, the Guardian is revealing, day by day, the records its music team thinks are must-hears "before you shuffle off your mortal coil." Out so far on the list, released alphabetically by artist, are groups A through M. Here's some of what the Guardian's music mavens had to say about the Nonesuch albums they included from Amadou & Mariam, Laurie Anderson, Buena Vista Social Club, Brian Eno & David Byrne, Ali Farka Touré, Ibrahim Ferrer, Bill Frisell, Kronos Quartet, Pat Metheny, Steve Reich, and Orlando Cachaito López.

In a ceremony held at Manhattan's Hudson Theater last Tuesday, Laurie Anderson was awarded the esteemed Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. Named in memory of the early-film era stars, each year, the prize honors “a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and understanding of life.” Here is a transcript of Laurie Anderson's acceptance speech from the event.

Now on display at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris is Playback, an exhibition exploring the intersection between video art and music videos. The show features video by artists like Andy Warhol, William Wegman, Damien Hirst, Sonic Youth, and Laurie Anderson. "In a time when most video art has become multi-screen installation," says InterAccess, "Playback makes a strong case that single channel video, in the form of the music video, is alive and well, with an audience and a distribution network to rival single channel video’s heyday."

The New York Post's film critic Lou Lumenick recently caught a preview of Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood and is adding to the film's Oscar buzz . "One thing is clear," he writes. "The amazing Daniel Day-Lewis is the top contender for Best Actor honors. Day, who has been leading prognosticators' charts ... for several weeks, is unforgettable as an oilman undone by his avariciousness in this full-blooded, early 20th-century epic ..." Harp magazine looks at the film's score by Jonny Greenwood, including a statement from the composer about his process for creating music for this "full-blooded" film.

In this week's Boston Phoenix, Banning Eyre reviews Youssou N'Dour's latest CD, Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take), and finds further confirmation that "the emotional nexus of N'Dour's best work [is] in his near-divine voice." The album is "just one more reflection of how the demands of N’Dour’s far-flung audiences have sharpened his powers." N'Dour's US tour heads to the Boston area on Monday, December 10.