Natalie Merchant's latest album, Leave Your Sleep, has been endorsed by the organizers of National Poetry Day in the UK, which is being celebrated today in schools, libraries, and bookshops across the country. On the album, Merchant sets the work of both well-known and obscure British and American poets to music. She kicks off a Northeast US tour tomorrow, performing with full symphony orchestras.

Natalie Merchant concludes her summer US tour, featuring music from her album Leave Your Sleep, at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina, tonight. She hits the road again in October for a five-stop tour of the mid-Atlantic states backed by a full orchestra. Glide says the new album shows "once again that Natalie Merchant not only has the chops to be one of the best singer-songwriters of her generation, but rather she is one of the defining ones."

Natlie Merchant's Leave Your Sleep tour brought her to Florida this week. The Sun Sentinel witnessed "a new Natalie Merchant ... burnished with the amber glow of something special," the songs of the new album proved "magical." The Broward New Times calls them "delicate, dreamy songs with multigenerational appeal." Tampa's Creative Loafing says Merchant "made it seem as if the poems had been waiting for her music all along."

Natalie Merchant has contributed a moving and personal interview to the new BBC World Service series Striking a Chord, in which musicians talk about  songs they have written that “struck a chord with a nation, or a generation." Merchant discusses her song "Wonder" and the impact it has had, as well as the unique power of music. "It's hard to unite people in one feeling and one frame of mind," she says. "I feel like music is a way to do that. It's one of the only ways."

Natalie Merchant's US tour brought her to Texas for three shows, including Thursday night in Dallas. The Dallas Morning News says Merchant's voice "sounds as pure and powerful now as it did 20 years ago" and calls the show "one of the year's most assured performances. Natalie Merchant proved to be nothing less than pure poetry in motion." In Florida, where the tour heads next, the Sun Sentinel says her "voice is simply timeless."

Natalie Merchant's performance at the Cambridge Folk Festival earlier this month will be featured on the UK's Sky Arts TV Saturday night, which also includes interviews with Natalie and with Carolina Chocolate Drops, plus performances from the Drops and Rokia Traoré. Merchant's US tour stops in Texas this weekend. The Arizona Republic says: "Her ambitious touring and recording project shows an artist who continues to evolve and push herself."

Natalie Merchant's US summer tour came to California last week for a number of concerts, including stops at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and the Spreckels Theatre in San Diego over the weekend. Merchant had previously performed in the Bay Area and stopped by 826 Valencia, Dave Eggers' writing program for students. The San Francisco Chronicle described the event as "a kind of 'master class' for high school kids."

As Natalie Merchant and her band perform songs from Leave Your Sleep in California this week, new shows have just been added in the Northeast this fall featuring a full symphony orchestra. LA Weekly calls Leave Your Sleep "the most sonically adventurous project of her career." The Atlantic, reviewing the Seattle show, says it "worked—in wondrous ways," calling it "a tour de force ... an artist's creative and courageous venture into new territory altogether."

Natalie Merchant, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Rokia Traoré performed recently at the 45th annual Cambridge Folk Festival in Cambridge, England. BBC Radio 2's festival highlights program features interviews and live performances by all three both artists. Press coverage of the festival included praise for the performances.

The 45th annual Cambridge Folk Festival gets under way tonight at Cherry Hinton Hall in Cambridge, England, and three Nonesuch artists are set to take the stage there this weekend: Natalie Merchant headlines Saturday night, Carolina Chocolate Drops perform both Saturday and Sunday, and Rokia Traoré performs on Sunday. BBC Radio 2 will broadcast highlights next Wednesday.

Natalie Merchant's tour resumes in the US next week following a stop in the UK for the Cambridge Folk Festival this weekend. Fans on both sides of the Atlantic can now pick up an iTunes Session from Merchant with reimagined original music and cover songs. The Grand Rapids Press gives 3.5 of 4 stars to a recent show, full of "compelling songs, tight musicianship and Merchant's strong vocals."

Natalie Merchant brought her Leave Your Sleep tour to the Chicago Theatre for what the Chicago Tribune calls an "uplifting show," in which Merchant's "multimedia presentation enchanted with childlike wonder and wide-eyed imagination." The Tribune cites her "refreshing enthusiasm and approachable demeanor" and, most important, her "tender, intimate voice."