Rokia Traoré's new album, Né So, is out February 12. But you don't need to wait till then to hear it: the album is streaming in full till then as an NPR First Listen. NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas, who calls Traoré "fantastically gifted," notes that "the idea of refuge ... serves as a central catalyst to Traoré's gorgeous new album." She concludes: "Né So is a sonically beautiful project, for sure, and it's easy to get lost in the lilting rhythms and Traoré's smoky voice. But if you're simply sitting back with this album, you may have missed her point." Hear Né So in full here. Traoré kicks off a tour in London on Saturday, followed by stops throughout Europe in the weeks ahead. She heads to the US in late March for performances in NYC, DC, and Savannah.

Punch Brothers have announced a US tour in May. The two-week headline tour kicks off with a concert at Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville and makes stops in Birmingham, Athens, Cambridge, and Milwaukee, culminating in two nights at Chicago's Thalia Hall on May 13 and 14. Those dates follow a concert with Dave Rawlings Machine in Charleston on April 29 and a set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 1. The band will also take part in the MusicNOW, Huck Finn Jubilee, Telluride Bluegrass, Oregon Bach, and RockyGrass festivals in the months ahead.

Lianne La Havas kicks off a fully sold-out US tour at The McKittrick Hotel in New York City tonight. It's the first in a series of intimate solo club dates stopping in Boston, DC, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Oakland, and culminating with a show at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles on February 11. The tour features music from La Havas's second album, Blood, which has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Olivia Chaney will tour the United Kingdom this spring, including six shows as special guest of Ben Folds on his tour of England with yMusic. Chaney will perform in two UK festivals—ATP Festival in North Wales in April and the London Festival of Baroque Music in May—before joining Folds and the ensemble for concerts in Manchester, Gateshead, Brighton, and Cambridge, as well as two nights at the London Palladium. Before then, she heads to the United States to perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March.

Michael Daves has released two versions of the Ralph Stanley–penned tune "Pretty Polly," off his forthcoming album, Orchids and Violence, due February 26. As with the whole double album's repertoire, Daves offers both a more straightforward bluegrass interpretation, featuring a band of roots-music innovators, and a second, more raw, experimental rock take on those tunes mostly played by Daves. You can hear both versions here and download them, along with the album tracks "The Dirt That You Throw," when you pre-order the album.

Lake Street Dive has unveiled a new track, "I Don't Care About You," from the band's forthcoming Nonesuch Records debut album, Side Pony, due February 19. You can hear the song here and download it now when you pre-order the album on iTunes and in the Nonesuch Store, along with the previously released album track "Call Off Your Dogs."

Ry Cooder, Sharon White, Ricky Skaggs bring their tour to the Midwest … Jeremy Denk joins Kansas City Symphony for Beethoven's "Emperor" … Rhiannon Giddens joins Transatlantic Sessions at Glasgow's Celtic Connections … Kronos Quartet gives world premiere of My Lai in Chicago … Joshua Redman closes out Midwest run with Umphrey’s McGee … Chris Thile guest hosts A Prairie Home Companion with special guests Punch Brothers … and more …

The line-up for the 2016 MusicNOW Festival in Cincinnati has been announced, and among the performers are Kronos Quartet, Punch Brothers, Chris Thile, and Sam Amidon. The three-day festival, founded by artistic director Bryce Dessner, will take place March 18–20. Kronos Quartet will join the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for performances at Cincinnati's Music Hall the first two nights of the festival, performing works by Julia Wolfe and Terry Riley. Chris Thile closes out Friday night's program with a solo set and joins his fellow Punch Brothers to close out the weekend at the Cincinnati Masonic Center Auditorium on Sunday with Sam Amidon.

Laurie Anderson spoke with fellow filmmaker Darren Aronofsky following a screening of her new film, Heart of a Dog, at the Rubin Museum of Art in NYC last month. Their conversation is now featured on The Talkhouse Film Podcast, which you can hear here. "Thoughtful, witty, and warm, [Heart of a Dog] ponders profound questions about love, death, and language," says Talkhouse's Nick Dawson. "It's an essay film, sure, but heartfelt and intimate rather than heady and intellectual." Anderson previously spoke with tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus for The Talkhouse Music Podcast.

Rokia Traoré was the guest on BBC Radio 3's In Tune yesterday, performing two songs from her forthcoming album, Né So—"Kolokani" and "Mayé"—as well as "Kélé Mandi," from her album Bowmboï. She also spoke with BBC Radio 4's Front Row about the new album. Traoré begins a two-month tour at Roundhouse in London on February 6.

Lake Street Dive was the musical guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night. The group, which will make its Nonesuch debut with the release of its new album, Side Pony, on February 19, performed "Call Off Your Dogs" from the forthcoming album. You can watch it here. The album track "Call Off Your Dogs" is available to download now with pre-orders of Side Pony.The band will tour North America in February and March and head to Europe and the UK to tour in April.

Rhiannon Giddens performed a special set as part of BBC Radio 2's live coverage from Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival: "Last Kind Words" from her album Tomorrow Is My Turn; "Mouth Music," from her new EP, Factory Girl, and the new song called "Come Love Come." Watch the set here. She plays her own Celtic Connections show tonight, then joins Transatlantic Sessions for two nights at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall and a five-concert tour of the UK. Giddens performs on BBC One TV's Andrew Marr Show this Sunday morning.