Randy Newman continues his US tour with two stops in the Midwest this weekend. Last weekend, Newman received a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for the film Toy Story 3. He's been nominated for an Academy Award for the song "We Belong Together" from the film and will perform it at the Oscars next weekend. Newman recently spoke about his scoring and songwriting on PBS's Tavis Smiley, which you can watch here.

Jessica Lea Mayfield has been a Next Big Thing by SPIN magazine. "Black Keys-approved, smart-ass country-rock ingénue." That's what SPIN says to expect from Mayfield's "stunning" new album, Tell Me. USA Today's Pop Candy podcast features her song "Blue Skies Again," saying: "Her voice really is like a patch of blue sky." The Huffington Post names Tell Me its Must-Play Pick of the Week, describing her vocal delivery as "full of detached rapture. No vocal gymnastics. Nothing too emotional. Just those words that perfectly capture the awkwardness and awesomeness of infatuation mixed with unsure bravado."

Brad Mehldau’s 2CD/DVD solo album Live in Marciac is out in just one week, on February 22. The Times of London says: "If you haven’t bought a jazz album since The Köln Concert, this would make a good follow-up." Jazzwise gives it four stars and features Mehldau in this month’s issue. He also spoke with The Huffington Post. "His breathtaking command of his instrument is undeniable," says the site. "But what he is able to say musically as a soloist within the context of each song combined with his improvisations is simply masterful."

k.d. lang's new album with the Siss Boom Bang, Sing it Loud, is due out April 12 on Nonesuch, but there's no need to wait any longer to take home music from the album: You can download the opening track, "I Confess," at iTunes now. A lyric sheet of "I Confess," printed from k.d.'s own written original, is included with pre-orders of Sing it Loud from the Nonesuch Store, a limited number of which will be signed by k.d. herself.

Laurie Anderson will perform on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, February 24. The show is giving Anderson's fans a shot at sitting up-close as the performance unfolds; find out how here. Following her Grammy appearance this past Sunday, Anderson and her husband, Lou Reed, perform a belated Valentine's Day duo show at The Stone in NYC tonight as part of a month of events they are curating at the downtown space.

The 2011 Bonnaroo festival lineup has been announced, and among the performers at this year's gathering will be The Black Keys, The Low Anthem, Wanda Jackson, and Jessica Lea Mayfield. The festival will take place June 9 through 12 in Manchester, Tennessee; tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 19, at 12 EST.

The Black Keys walked away from last night's Grammy Awards ceremonies with several awards for their album Brothers, including Best Alternative Music Album. The Plain Dealer exclaims: "It's official: The Black Keys are good as gold." The love continues as they spend their Valentine's Day on Conan, tonight. Also on tonight's show: Justin Bieber. The Black Keys were on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, performing "Howlin' for You"; watch it here.

The Low Anthem's new album, Smart Flesh, is due out next week, on February 22. Until then, you can listen to the album streaming in its entirety as an NPR First Listen on npr.org. The band makes records "worth discovering slowly and embracing with loving care," says NPR's Stephen Thompson. Smart Flesh "showcases a band that's never been on surer footing," he says. "Alternately rustic and relevant, these songs sound haunted in every possible way ... beautiful through and through." Clash Music says: "this is the human condition set to music."

Jessica Lea Mayfield and her album Tell Me were featured on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. "Meeting, matching, looking for love and struggling to keep it are all subjects for songs on Jessica Lea Mayfield's new album," says host Scott Simon. Mayfield performs those songs at First Avenue in Minneapolis tonight, the final stop on her tour with Justin Townes Earle. Up next are three shows with the Avett Brothers. Watch Mayfield performs the song "Sometimes At Night," off of Tell Me, in a video here.

Congratulations to the Nonesuch artists who were presented with Grammy Awards at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday, February 13, in Los Angeles: The Black Keys, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and World Circuit / Nonesuch Records artists Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. Together, these artists' 2010 releases garnered a total of six awards.

Nonesuch artists are up for several Grammys on Sunday ... John Adams's Nixon in China hits movie theaters via The Met: Live in HD ... The Black Keys are on The Tonight Show ... Wanda Jackson tours Germany ... Jessica Lea Mayfield tours the Midwest with Justin Townes Earle ... Randy Newman plays Louisiana and Florida ... Mandy Patinkin stars at New York's Public Theater ... Punch Brothers cover Colorado ... Allen Toussaint plays NYC ... Dawn Upshaw sings Britten in St. Paul ... Sara Watkins plays close to home with The Decemberists ... and more ...

As Jessica Lea Mayfield's tour with Justin Townes Earle continues through Valentine's Day, Pitchfork says her work has "the emotional force of the best country music and distinguishes her from other songwriters." On her new album, Tell Me, "Mayfield works to break free of her country confines and showcase her vocals in new, unexpected settings," says Pitchfork. Across the album's 11 tracks, Mayfield's songs prove "positively kaleidoscopic, both musically and emotionally." Scripps Howard gives the album four stars and calls Mayfield a "singularly talented singer."