John Adams's groundbreaking 1987 opera Nixon in China will be given its Metropolitan Opera premiere this Wednesday, also marking Adams's Met conducting debut and what the New York Times calls "a tardy house debut" for director Peter Sellars. The Times looks at just what an achievement the opera was for a composer and a librettist, Alice Goodman, who had never undertaken anything like it before. The Times also looks at the state dinner thrown for Nixon in Beijing and recreated in New York. Adams and Sellars spoke with Time Out New York for an interview titled "Vote Nixon."

AfroCubism, the project featuring some of Mali and Cuba's finest musicians, finally came together 14 years after its conception, resulting in one of the best-reviewed albums of 2010. The band gave a brief tour of North America last fall, followed by a number of shows in Europe. The final show of AfroCubism's 2010 tour took place at the Bataclan in Paris, on December 5, and was captured on video. You can watch the complete concert here.

Carolina Chocolate Drops have been named among the year's best in the 2010 Nashville Scene Country Music Critics' Poll. Their album Genuine Negro Jig comes in at No. 7 on the Best Album list. The band itself is also listed among Best Groups (as are Punch Brothers), Best New Acts, and Artists of the Year, and Rhiannon Giddens among Best Female Vocalists. Nashville Scene says that "no country act rocked harder or shouted more contagiously in 2010 than this one."

Wanda Jackson celebrates the release of her new Jack White-produced album, The Party Ain't Over, with a free show in her hometown of Oklahoma City tomorrow. She is featured on the latest edition of the New York Times Popcast. The Huffington Post calls her "every inch an Elvis," who, with the new album, is "cementing her status as royalty ... Wicked Good!" The Montreal Gazette gives the album four stars, calling the pairing of Jackson and White "an inspired one." ClashMusic exclaims: "The Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson is back on her throne."

Wanda Jackson celebrated yesterday's release of her new Jack White-produced album, The Party Ain't Over, with a performance of the song "Funnel of Love" on Conan last night with White and The Third Man House Band. As the Conan site puts it, "Jackson kicked so much butt last night!" Jackson and White also spoke with Conan about the new album, and Jackson had some kind words for Elvis Presley. Watch the performance and interview clip here. Jackson is the subject of an AP article that recognizes the importance of the "diminutive dynamo's knives-out vocal delivery" in rock 'n' roll history.

The Low Anthem is in Los Angeles to perform at The Wiltern with Iron and Wine tonight. The bands will be together again this spring when they launch a two-week tour in April. Before that, The Low Anthem will embark on a headlining tour in support of its forthcoming Nonesuch release, Smart Flesh, due out February 22. Salt Lake magazine listed the band's sets at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this week among the week's musical highlights.

The Konserthuset in Stockholm kicks off Steve Reich's 75th birthday year with Tonsättarfestivalen: Steve Reich, five days of concerts, starting tonight, featuring the Stockholm Royal Philharmonic, Kroumata, Amadinda, Synergy Vocals, and the composer himself, who performs Clapping Music on tonight's program. The concerts will be broadcast on Swedish Radio P2. This week's festival is the first of a year's worth of events around the world honoring the composer's 75th birthday on October 3.

Wanda Jackson's new album, The Party Ain't Over, produced by Jack White, is out today. Jackson and White will perform a song from the new record on Conan tonight. They were featured on NPR's Morning Edition today. The Los Angeles Times says Jackson "shows that a 73-year-old grandmother is still fully capable of ripping things up—especially when you throw in with someone as party-ready as producer Jack White." The Toronto Star calls it "a fun, eclectic and admirably raucous record."

The Carolina Chocolate Drops release a four-song EP today, a collaboration with the New York City–based Romanian gypsy punk band Luminescent Orchestrii and beatboxer Adam Matta. "More than anything, this collaboration is a tribute to the power of music to bring people together," says No Depression. The Chocolate Drops’ begin their tour next week on Lincoln Center’s prestigious American Songbook; Matta and multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins join the band on the road.

True Grit has been nominated for a remarkable 10 Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Lead Actor for Jeff Bridges, and Supporting Actress for Hailee Steinfeld. Composer Carter Burwell's score for True Grit, which was ineligible due to a technicality, earns five stars from Audiophile Audition. "With evocative radiance, majestic landscapes and human drama are captured with plaintive beauty ... A memorable movie will invariably have a memorable soundtrack." True Grit was recently nominated for eight BAFTA Film Awards.

The Barbican in London has announced its Classical Music 2011–12 season, which includes a Kronos Quartet residency with a program of American music and a special mediation on the anniversary of 9/11; two concerts from the LSO celebrating Steve Reich's 75th birthday; and the UK premiere of Philip Glass's Einstein on the Beach in conjunction with the Cultural Olympiad's London 2012 Festival.

There's just one more day till the release of Wanda Jackson's new album, The Party Ain't Over, produced by Jack White; they'll celebrate as musical guests on Conan on Tuesday. Jackson is featured in the New York Times, which traces her influence on generations of performers. The Boston Globe cites "delicious and unexpected delights on her new album." The Washington Post calls it "wild fun." Vanity Fair calls it "inspired ... unmistakably and perfectly 'Wanda.'” The Detroit Free Press sees it as "a fun, feel-good achievement." The Independent names it CD of the Week, one that "cannot help but put a smile on your face." The Times of London calls it "extraordinary."