Randy Newman performs at the Oscars ... Adams’s Doctor Atomic Symphony receives Canadian premiere ... Carolina Chocolate Drops sell out in Charlottesville ... Ben Folds closes out UK leg of European tour ... Wanda Jackson plays DC and Dallas ... The Low Anthem play Philly, Pittsburgh, and Mountain Stage ... Jessica Lea Mayfield's on the Late Show ... Brad Mehldau, Anne Sofie von Otter close out duo tour ... Joshua Redman is in Oregon for PDX Jazz Fest ... Chris Thile joins Great Falls Symphony on his Mandolin Concerto ... Allen Toussaint's on Austin City Limits ... Sara Watkins is on A Prairie Home Companion ... and more ...

Jessica Lea Mayfield will be the musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight, performing "Our Hearts Are Wrong," off her Nonesuch debut album, Tell Me. Also on tonight's show are Glee's Matthew Morrison and comedian Jeff Altman. Mayfield is set to tour Europe in May and June, following her US tour. The tour begins in Belgium on May 27 and includes concerts in Ireland, UK, France, Germany, and Holland.

Congratulations to Allen Toussaint: he will be among the newest members inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a ceremony on June 16 in New York City. Toussaint's debut appearance on Austin City Limits, which first aired last year and featured songs from his Nonesuch debut album, The Bright Mississippi, will be rebroadcast on PBS stations across the US this weekend.

Laurie Anderson was the musical guest on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. She performed an excerpt of "Another Day in America," off her latest album, Homeland, accompanied by Colin Stetson on saxophone and Rob Burger on accordion, with her male alter ego, Fenway Bergamot, contributing vocals. Watch the performance here, along with an excerpt from the Homeland DVD about the making of the album.

Ben Folds's Lonely Avenue tour of Europe got off to a smashing good start in Ireland and the UK this past week. The Independent gives a perfect five stars to the "monumental" London show, with Folds "amazing the audience time and again ... It's an absolute joy to watch someone so gifted perform." MusicOMH gives the concert five stars as well, calling it "a performance that doesn't set a foot wrong, from an artist who systematically matches storytelling with perfect orchestration and harmony. Impeccable." The Evening Standard says Folds's "musicianship shone through with jazzy interludes from his band and beautiful harmonies."

The Low Anthem kicks their tour at the Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, DC, tonight. NPR's All Songs Considered will be broadcasting the concert live online at npr.org. The Associated Press calls their new album, Smart Flesh, "stunningly memorable ... Decidedly eclectic, the Low Anthem use simple chords, haunting sounds and unusual instrumentation to create something sincere and beautiful." On this week's New York Times Popcast, Times writer David Carr says: "You don't hear singing like that every other day. It's very, very impressive."

Laurie Anderson is the musical guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight. Tune in for a performance of an excerpt of "Another Day in America," off Anderson's latest album, Homeland, featuring her male alter ego, Fenway Bergamot. The New York Times says the song "suggests creative roads not taken." PEN World Voices Festival has announced that Anderson will participate in the festival this spring; she'll curate an evening of poetry, featuring Antony and the Johnsons.

The Black Keys have added another date to their summer tour schedule unveiled earlier this week: as a part of Summerfest 2011, the band will headline  at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 6, along with touring partners Cage the Elephant and special guest Florence + the Machine. Tickets go on sale March 5. Fan pre-sale for the June and July shows announced this past Tuesday began yesterday through MusicToday.com. Public on sale for those is either tomorrow or Saturday.

The Low Anthem, whose latest album, Smart Flesh, was released yesterday on Nonesuch, launches a brief winter tour in Washington, DC, tomorrow night. NPR's All Songs Considered will be there, broadcasting the concert live online. The band will be back in the States this spring, for support slots with Iron & Wine and a slew of newly-confirmed headlining dates, including a special show at the pasta sauce factory in Rhode Island where they recorded most of the new album. Watch the video for the album track "Boeing 737," shot at the factory, here.

On The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2, which Nonesuch Records will release on May 10, Randy Newman takes a fresh look at both classic and more recent work in new solo recordings of his celebrated songs. Songbook Vol. 2, which was co-produced by Mitchell Froom and Lenny Waronker, includes songs spanning from the 1968 album Randy Newman through 2008’s Harps and Angels. Newman began his North American tour on February 11 and continues through April 22 in San Francisco. Newman performs his Oscar-nominated song from Toy Story 3 at the awards ceremony this Sunday.

Today marks the release of The Low Anthem's new album, Smart Flesh. Rolling Stone gives the album four stars, saying: "It's as if the Band stripped their prairie-gothic majesty down to Tom Waits' early barfly essentials." The Los Angeles Times calls it "a gorgeous, inventively arranged set of reverb-rich roots ballads." Paste sums it up as "soft-spoken stories that’ll stop you in your tracks." The Providence Journal calls it "a stunning, incandescent gem of a recording." The Daily Telegraph gives the album four stars: "These exquisitely voiced musings on love, healing and mortality really hit the spot." Uncut says, "It's all stunningly beautiful."

Brad Mehldau's new 2CD/DVD solo album Live in Marciac is out today on Nonesuch. The Los Angeles Times says: "Mehldau's technical mastery can be enough to make your head spin, but the feeling is invigorating." The Financial Times gives four stars to the "enthralling" album, as does the Daily Telegraph. The Boston Globe says it showcases "what he does best." The Independent on Sunday calls it "a triumph of imagination and structure. Quite simply, he's on fire, inspired, out there, playing with the gods." The Irish Times gives the album a perfect five stars. "A joy at every level—and another contender for the year’s best." Watch an excerpt of Mehldau improvising on "My Favorite Things" here.