Audra McDonald’s first solo album in seven years—Go Back Home—is out now. The album features songs by composers with whom she has long been associated (Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChiusa, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim) and some, like the Kander & Ebb title track, relatively new to her repertoire; in addition, McDonald continues to champion works by an emerging generation of composers. New York exclaims: "It's entirely possible that Audra McDonald is the greatest singer alive." The New York Times, which describes her concert for this Friday's Live From Lincoln Center on PBS as "absolutely thrilling," visited McDonald to capture an intimate performance of Guettel's "Migratory V," which you can watch here.

Congratulations to composer John Adams, who received an honorary degree from Yale University at the school's 312th Commencement held in New Haven yesterday. Adams' fellow honorees include Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and author Edwidge Danticat (seated in the photo with Adams). "You have pushed the boundaries of music, layering sound upon sound, playing with silence and speech and song, extending minimalism," read the citation honoring Adams. "Creating symphonies, choral works, concerti, and historical operas, your compositions have comforted and confronted, amused and amazed, challenged and transformed."

Pat Metheny’s recording of John Zorn’s Tap: The Book of Angels, Vol. 20 from Zorn’s Masada Book Two is out this week. Metheny and Zorn spoke with the New York Times about this, their first collaboration. "An impressive feat of imagination, and a strikingly clear distillation of both artists’ distinctive languages," writes the Times' Nate Chinen, "the album strongly suggests an artistic dialogue." Metheny and Zorn appeared on BBC Radio 6 Music for Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone in the UK, where the album earns four stars from the Daily Telegraph, the Scotsman, the Times, and the Independent, which concludes: "It's all dazzlingly virtuosic and evocative."

Audra McDonald, whose new album, Go Back Home, is out tomorrow, was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. She spoke with NPR's Jeff Lunden about her personal connection to the songs on the album, which is noted as well in an Associated Press feature. Both the new album and this Friday's broadcast of her concert on PBS's Live From Lincoln Center "pull back the curtain on one of the most decorated women on Broadway," says the AP. "The CD's title taken from the stunning Kander and Ebb song from The Scottsboro Boys musical is a hint that this is McDonald's most personal album to date." New York recommends both, exclaiming: "It's entirely possible that Audra McDonald is the greatest singer alive."

Dr. John and Allen Toussaint, two favorite sons of New Orleans, received honorary degrees from Tulane University in New Orleans at its 2013 Commencement held at the Superdome on Saturday. Both Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees received honorary doctor of fine arts degrees and performed together in a short set. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who delivered the keynote address at the event, received an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Natasha Trethewey, the US poet laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, was awarded a doctor of humane letters.

Iron and Wine closes out East Coast tour in Boston, Portland, and upstate New York ... Sam Amidon launches Europe tour with two Dutch festivals ... Devendra Banhart is in Santa Cruz ... The Black Keys headline KROQ Weenie Roast ... Bombino closes out European tour in Portugal ... Carolina Chocolate Drops join Dave Matthews Band in Texas ... Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter play Mountain Stage ... Nataly Dawn tours UK with Lord Huron ... Dawn Upshaw gives NY premiere of Donnacha Dennehy's That the Night Come at Carnegie Hall ... Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell tour Netherlands ... Audra McDonald makes New Orleans debut ... HBO airs Randy Newman's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ...  Joshua Redman is in France ... Sara Watkins concludes West Coast tour ... and more ...

Sam Amidon celebrated the release of his new album, Bright Sunny South, with a performance at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City last night. This morning, he was featured on NPR's Morning Edition, discussing what host Steve Inskeep calls "a new spin on very traditional American folk music," including the album track "Weeping Mary," which his parents had recorded with the Word of Mouth Chorus for Nonesuch in 1977. Amidon also spoke with NBC 4 New York about two sides of folk music that can be heard in his music. Listen to the Morning Edition segment and watch the NBC piece here.

Congratulations to Randy Newman, winner of the PRS for Music Special International Award at the 58th Ivor Novello Awards in London last night. The awards, which honor excellence in music writing, are presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and judged by the writing community. Peter Gabriel presented Newman with his award at the ceremony. The 28th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, at which Newman was inducted into the Hall of Fame last month, will be presented on HBO this Saturday night.

Sam Amidon has unveiled the official video for "As I Roved Out," off his just-released Nonesuch debut album, Bright Sunny South. The video, directed by John Hardwick, premiered on NPR Music. MusicOMH says it "is arguably the most striking track on the album." Sam Amidon will perform at (Le) Poisson Rouge in NYC tonight; the show will streaming live via Livestream. He performed and discussed the new album on WNYC's Soundcheck; listen to the episode here.

Bombino, who closes out the current leg of his European tour in Portugal this weekend before heading to the States on tour, is the subject of a piece on BBC Africa. "What I like about rock and blues music is that I can transmit emotions through this type of music to my fans, and that's really important to me," he tells the BBC. "Rock music is similar to the traditional Tende music; it is very popular in Niger. Nomads enjoy rock because they love dancing like crazy to it." 

Sam Amidon makes his Nonesuch Records debut with today's release of his new album, Bright Sunny South. The album receives four stars from the Guardian, Mojo, Q, Blurt, and musicOMH, which notes "his wonderfully rich, expressive voice." Drowned in Sound calls it his "most emotionally and tonally complex LP to date ... Amidon has taken a huge step forward as a folk artist, creating arrangements which preserve his musicianship, while deepening the maturity of his interpretive skills." Scripps Howard Newsire says the "transcendent" opening track "sets the tone."

Emmylou Harris has been nominated for three awards at the 2013 Americana Music Association Honors & Awards show including Artist of the Year. She is also nominated with Rodney Crowell for Album of the Year and Duo/Group of the Year for their acclaimed 2013 collaboration, Old Yellow Moon. The duo, currently touring Europe in support of the album, will resume its US tour in June including two shows with special guest She & Him. The Americana Honors & Awards returns to the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 18, 2013, as part of the Americana Music Festival.