Amadou & Mariam, whose latest album, Welcome to Mali, is slated for a US release on Nonesuch next month (Washington Post rock critic J. Freedom du Lac exclaims: "Best thing I've heard this year."), have just finalized their North American summer tour. The Malian couple will headline six shows in the US and Canada starting with a June 2 show at Chicago's Park West and stopping in Toronto, Montreal, Boston, and New York, with a final show at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 10.

But the show doesn't end there. Amadou & Mariam have also been tapped to join Coldplay for two weeks of the British band's own US tour. The duo support Coldplay for two weeks, from the July 10 show at the Amphitheater at Clark County, just across the Washington state line from Portland, Oregon, through the July 24 show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

This isn't the first touch of Britpop tied to the pair's latest project. Damon Albarn, of Blur and Gorillaz fame, among others, appears on Welcome to Mali as producer of its opening track, "Sabali," on which he also contributes programming, bass, keyboards, and backing vocals; and on the second album track, "Ce n'est pas bon," playing keyboards.

Welcome to Mali was released last November in the UK to great critical acclaim, taking the top spot on Metacritic's as the best-reviewed album of 2008. Both Observer Music Monthly and Uncut give the album a perfect five stars, and Pitchfork gives it an 8.4, stating: "'Inevitable' is a pretty good word for the stardom of Amadou & Mariam. People this amazingly talented and open to new sounds and ideas rarely remain obscure, especially after so many years honing their craft and building their catalog."

For the full list of Amadou & Mariam's North American tour dates and venues, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.