Performances of the Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music resume on Broadway, with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch taking on the roles originated in the revival by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. The San Francisco Chronicle describes the play as "an irresistible waltz through some of Sondheim's most memorably melodic songs" and gives "wild applause" to the cast album featuring Zeta-Jones and Lansbury, calling it "a treasure."

Natalie Merchant launches an extensive summer tour across the United States, performing songs from Leave Your Sleep and throughout her career. "At the root of her success are two qualities," says The Guardian, "an unwillingness to compromise, and total sincerity. In a world of glib, heavily produced pop stars, Merchant stands out."

Laurie Anderson has began a short tour of the East Coast with music from her new album, Homeland, in two shows at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live, one at New York's (Le) Poisson Rouge, and one at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. She was recently featured on PRI's Studio 360 and appears on PRI's Echoes today. The Philadelphia Inquirer says Anderson's "current projects suggest that, at 63, she's at a late-middle-age creative peak."

Ben Folds and Nick Hornby, whose music and words, respectively, come together on the forthcoming Nonesuch release Lonely Avenue, appeared on the Saturday edition of BBC Radio 2's Jonathan Ross show. Folds and Horby discussed the new album and perform their song "From Above," with Ben on acoustic guitar, and Hornby helping out on the singing—undoubtedly a world exclusive event.

Punch Brothers follow the success of their recent Caramoor appearance with three shows in Michigan later this week. The Associated Press says their new album, "Antifogmatic, has more range than your average bluegrass album. There’s an old-time feel to some songs. But several songs have a progressive feel that rises above genre limitations." Spinner looks at producer Jon Brion's role in bringing the band's unique acoustic sound to disc.

Emmylou Harris performs at Lilith Fair ... Laurie Anderson live on World Cafe and in NYC ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play the Sugar Grove Festival in NC ... Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman, Rokia Traore, and Caetano Veloso hit the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam... and more ...

Metacritic.com has released its mid-year report of "The Best Music of 2010 So Far"—and three Nonesuch releases have made the cut: Ali Farka Touré's collaboration with kora player Toumani Diabaté came in at #2, and Laurie Anderson's first studio album since 2001, Homeland, followed it at #3. The Black Keys recent album, Brothers, followed up at #27. John Schaefer of WNYC's Soundcheck picks Anderson's Homeland, Ali and Toumani, and Timothy Andres' Shy and Mighty as his best of the year so far.

On the latest edition of NPR's All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen and his regular cast of contributors sort through the "crush of great new music" coming out this summer, choosing "some of the upcoming albums they're most looking forward to." Robin Hilton, the show's producer, chooses Familial, the forthcoming debut solo album from Philip Selway.

The film I Am Love features the music of John Adams, which plays an important role in the "sumptuous, operatic, and swooning" film, says NPR's Fresh Air. Director Luca Guadagnino "suffuses everything with beauty, be it Yorick Le Saux's fluid cinematography, the richly textured music by John Adams or the outfits especially designed for Swinton by Jil Sander and Fendi." Variety features an article about the director's love of Adams's music. The Epoch Times praises the soundtrack as a "collection of some powerful music by an important voice in American music."

The Black Keys have been chosen as MTV's "Push Artist of the Week"; the video for "Tighten Up" from the band's new album, Brothers, is featured on mtv.com, along with exclusive interviews with Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney.

The Punch Brothers played the "American Roots, New Shoots" series at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New York, this past weekend, in a mini-festival showcasing "new perspectives on traditional American music." The New York Times describes the "supremely entertaining" show as "cleverly splintered and episodic, with touches of breathless emotion and ... humor."

Tune in to PBS's Tavis Smiley show tonight to watch the Carolina Chocolate Drops perform live from their album, Genuine Negro Jig.