Ben Folds has three more shows in his Australian tour, before heading to Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. He spoke with 774 ABC Melbourne radio about working with Nick Hornby on their album Lonely Avenue, which The Australian calls "a fine ensemble of adult pop songs ... He has a gift for seizing on the minutiae of everyday life and wrapping them in well-crafted melodies." The Brisbane Times says: "The musician's feel for the rhythm and emotional arc of a good story perfectly complements the novelist's lyrics."

Randy Newman was featured in the Observer last weekend, in which his song "Losing You" was described as "a reminder of what a poignant musician Newman can be." Now, as part of the Guardian and Observer's How I Wrote video series, he performs the song at the piano and shares the beautiful and touching true-life story behind the song. Watch the video here. The A.V. Club offers the uninitiated an introduction to Newman's work, calling him "one of the finest songwriters of his time."

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are today's Daytrotter artist: their session of five songs has now been published. The band's infectious sounds brighten even the deepest doldrums brought on by a relentlessly sodden spring, according to the site. "They bust you out of your stupor and you're immediately more agile, only because you've got to keep up with your heart rate," says Daytrotter. "We feel good again ... We're at a hoedown that was put together just for us, just to build us back up into people who could appreciate a clear blue, bright yellow day."

The Low Anthem, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Punch Brothers are all included in the new SPIN magazine article inviting readers to "Meet the New Stars of Americana." As distinct as their music is, "the idea uniting these bands is their joint pursuit of Americana 'feeling' a warm-and-friendly guilelessness that's been largely absent from the pop landscape for years," says SPIN. "They may borrow from ancient strains of folk music, but their sepia-toned approximation of those sounds is almost incidental: It's all about the heart."

Emmylou Harris will serve along with Tennessee's Governor and First Lady as honorary co-chairs for the 73rd Annual National Folk Festival in Nashville over Labor Day weekend. The festival is free. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, reviewing her new album, says: "Few weave stories like Emmylou Harris. Her Hard Bargain is a collection of tales that can make us feel whole again." The Boston Phoenix says Harris is "still singing and writing beautifully after all these years ... Hard Bargain is a gorgeous album."

John Adams's 1990 opera The Death of Klinghoffer will receive its London premiere in the 2011/12 season of the English National Opera. Director Tom Morris (War Horse) leads the London stage premiere of this retelling of the 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking. The ENO says the season aims to show "the unique way in which opera can explore the politically and socially charged issues of our day." The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis performs the work month. Adams will receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Juilliard this Friday and will deliver the school's commencement address.

The Black Keys' album Brothers was released one year ago today on Nonesuch Records, launching an unforgettable year for the band that included multiple Grammy wins, earned them a Gold Record, and landed them on countless year-end best lists. In honor of the album's one-year anniversary, the band is offering 20% off all orders in The Black Keys store at blackkeys.com; use the code BROTHERS at checkout. While there, enter to win the mustaches worn by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney in the video for "Howlin' for You," signed by the guys. For the best visual on the mustaches, watch the video here.

Jessica Lea Mayfield, who heads to Europe on tour next week, has added a number of new dates to her US spring and summer tour. Her first set upon returning to the States is at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 10, which will be followed by shows through the tail-end of summer, including six shows supporting The Avett Brothers and a set at the Belleayre Music Festival with label mates Punch Brothers. Esquire includes Mayfield's "Blue Skies Again," off her new album, Tell Me, on its list of "30 Summer Songs Every Man Should Listen To."

Randy Newman was the musical guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. He performed "Losing You," off his latest Nonesuch release, Songbook Vol. 2, which Fallon calls "a beautiful record." Prefix says the new album's "reinterpretations of his classic works offer a chance to hear his material with fresh ears," and the Late Night "performance demonstrates Newman’s famous way with words, but it also shows what an affecting singer he can be." Watch it here, along with a web-exclusive performance of "Short People."

k.d. lang will appear on the Tavis Smiley show on PBS tonight to discuss Sing it Loud, her new album with the Siss Boom Bang. "Refusing to be labeled," says the show, "k.d. lang has used her expressive voice to build an impressive music career across genres." lang and the band recently performed songs from the new album before a live audience in an intimate set broadcast on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic yesterday; you can now watch it in full online.

Chris Thile and Michael Daves are in the midst of their US tour, performing songs from their debut album, Sleep with One Eye Open. The Daily Telegraph gives the album four stars, calling Thile and Daves "a fine vocal duo ... but even more astonishing is their instrumental virtuosity." The Sunday Herald says that "whether they’re working their fingers to the bone or singing their hearts out, this is music of wonderful vitality." Birmingham says "the duo captures the vigorous vibe of the bluegrass jams that originally drew them together and the raucous nature of lives that often inspire such tunes."

The Low Anthem performs Phosphorescent's "The Mermaid Parade" in the latest episode of The Voice Project, a non-profit organization that supports women of war-torn Northern Uganda. Watch it here. The band was recorded moments before they played a concert at Boston's Old South Church at which they hit "a high note," said the Boston Globe, with "a galvanizing 90-minute performance that was masterful and even magical at times."