Alicia Keys performs at "Unplugged"
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

More Keys Please: Devout Alicia Keys fans will want to nab the CD+DVD version of Unplugged, which boasts two additional audio performances, "Goodbye" and "Butterflyz," on the CD, and behind-the-scenes action and a video for "Unbreakable" on the DVD. That's not to mention a booklet that has poems, a letter from Keys, liner notes, photos and info on Keep a Child Alive, a nonprofit she aligned herself with for a World AIDS Day benefit last year.

Leading a Double Life: DualDiscs are all the rage, and record companies usually send them to stores at the same time as the standard album in order to maximize sales potential. Not so with Ricky Martin's Life, which will come out in regular form Tuesday but won't see a DualDisc release until November 22. Tracks on both editions include: "I Don't Care" (featuring Fat Joe and Amerie), a Luny Tunes reggaeton remix of "Que Mas Da" and the Spanish track "Déjate Llevar (It's Alright)."

A New G Thang: G-Funk guru Warren G resurfaces after his longest solo hiatus yet — nearly four years — with the indie release In the Mid-Nite Hour. After spending time with 213 for last year's The Hard Way, Warren gets some help from his comrades on a few tracks: Snoop crops up on "Chronic Break" and "Garilla Pimpin," while Nate Dogg chimes in on "We Need Each Other." Raphael Saadiq, Bishop Lamont and Chuck Taylor also lend their skills.

Dive Right In: Originally called [Adult Swim] Presents DangerDoom, The Mouse and the Mask still realizes what Danger Mouse and MF Doom set out to do: high-five the animated-TV block with a set of inspired songs, plus character voices and skits from shows like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Sealab 2021." Cee-Lo and Ghostface Killah dip their toes into "Benzie Box" and "The Mask," respectively.

United They Stand: In addition to this week's two metal-champ collections — Numbers From the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden and the Roadrunner Records 25th anniversary throwdown The All-Star Sessions — there's a spate of other kinetic alliances happening. Illinois punks Resident Genius jam along to a recorded phone conversation they shared with legendary Boston University prof/activist Howard Zinn for You Can't Blow Up a Special Relationship; elusive indie darling Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) hops onto grimy Aussie instrumental trio Dirty Three's Cinder; and ex-Swans singer Jarboe duets with members of Low, Ministry and Bauhaus on her new one, The Men Album. (For three points: Blixa Bargeld of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds also sings with Jarboe; her fellow Seed, Warren Ellis, is Dirty Three's violinist.)

SteEPed in EPs: Neo-goth dance punks American Eyes find an unlikely producer in Michael Patterson (Diddy, Notorious B.I.G.) for their first release, Never Trust Anything That Bleeds; likewise, chaotic London punks the Rakes make their debut with Retreat. Also, Lambchop pay Nashville neighbors Hands Off Cuba a visit with Colab; the country-rockin' Magnolia Electric Co. taped two of their Hard to Love a Man tracks at Steve Albini's, uh, Electrical Audio Studios; San Francisco solo artist Kelley Stoltz breaks bread with Sub Pop on The Sun Comes Through; and another solo artist, Amanda Rogers, goes even further out on a limb by covering At the Drive-In, among others, on Something Borrowed Something Blue.

Song Title of the Week: "Major Disappointment Reporting for Duty" (Drowningman's Don't Push Us When We're Hot)

Other Notables:

Sevendust's Next: After eight years and a bitter breakup with career-long label TVT Records, the metal squad is resurrecting itself with a fresh new label (the Universal-affiliated WineDark), single ("Ugly") and guitarist, Snot's Sonny Mayo. Keep an eye out for limited-edition copies of 'Dust's fifth studio record, which come with a bonus DVD.

Gang of Four's Return the Gift: The truly seminal U.K. dance-rock group initially decided to put out a batch of re-recordings of its classic songs as a stand-alone disc and hold off until 2006 for an equally tempting set of remixes by Hot Hot Heat, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, No Doubt's Tony Kanal and others. Now they've decided to simplify by melding the two into a 26-track, double-CD set.

Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News DualDisc: Humble-rodent connoisseurs probably have the bonus track "I've Got It All (Most)" — which previously appeared as a B-side but is tacked onto the Good News DualDisc for good measure — but they should take note of the many visual nuggets: two videos, behind-the-scenes stuff and an interview with main man Isaac Brock directed by — you guessed it — Isaac Brock.

New Releases:

• 31Knots - Talk Like Blood (Polyvinyl)
• Abel - Alegria Musica (Tommy Boy)
• Adult. - Gimme Trouble (Thrill Jockey)
• Agents of the Sun - Monarchs of a Fallen Society (DCide)
• Gary Allan - Tough All Over (MCA Nashville)
• Allister - Before the Blockout (Drive Thru)
• American Eyes - Never Trust Anything That Bleeds (EP; Side One Dummy)
• American Werewolves - 1968 (Fractured Transmitter)
• Apache Indian - Time for Change (Explorer)
• Barr - Beyond Reinforced Jewelcase (5 Rue Christine)
• Hudson Bell - When the Sun Is the Moon (Monitor)
• Boris with Merzbow - Sun Baked Snow Cave (Hydra Head)
• Peter Brötzmann & Han Bennink - Schwarzwaldfahrt (Atavistic)
• Jackson Browne - Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 (Inside)
• Castanets - First Light's Freeze (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Celebration - Celebration (4AD)
• Cheetah Girls - Cheetah-Licious Christmas (Disney)
• The Clientele - Strange Geometry (Merge)
• Company - Parallel Time (Jagjaguwar)
• Constantines - Tournament of Hearts (Sub Pop)
• Susan Cowsill - Just Believe It (Blue Corn)
• Jamie Cullum - Catching Tales (deluxe edition due same day; Verve)
• Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
• Deerhoof - The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)
• Default - One Thing Remains (TVT)
• Dios Malos - Dios Malos (Star Time)
• Dirty Three - Cinder (Touch and Go)
• Drowningman - Don't Push Us When We're Hot (Thorp)
• Early Man - Closing In (Matador)
• Explosions in the Sky - How Strange, Innocence (Temporary Residence)
• Gamma Ray - Majestic (Sanctuary)
• Gang of Four - Return the Gift (two CDs; V2)
  Read: "No Doubt, Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Plan Gang Of Four Remixes"
• Mark Gardener with Goldrush - These Beautiful Ghosts (United for Opportunity)
• Great Lake Swimmers - Bodies and Minds (Misra)
• Hanson - The Best of Hanson: Live and Electric (limited edition; two CDs with DVD; Three Car Garage)
• George Huff - Miracles (Word)
• Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - The Sameness of Difference (Hyena)
• Jarboe - The Men Album (Atavistic)
• Jonathan Kane - February (Table of the Elements)
• Alicia Keys - Unplugged (special edition due same day; J)
  Read: "Alicia Keys Taps Mos Def, Common For 'Inspired' 'Unplugged' "
• Lambchop/ Hands Off Cuba - CoLAB (EP; Merge)
• The Living Blue - Fire, Blood, Water (Minty Fresh)
• The Long Winters - Ultimatum (Barsuk)
• The Magnolia Electric Co. - Hard to Love a Man (EP; Secretly Canadian)
• Ricky Martin - Life (Columbia)
• The Mass - Perfect Picture of Wisdom and Boldness (Crucial Blast)
• Joe McPhee and John Snyder - Pieces of Light (Atavistic)
• Minus Story - No Rest for Ghosts (Jagjaguwar)
• Mouse on Mars - Live04 (Sonig)
• New London Fire - I Sing the Body Holographic (Eyeball)
• Dolly Parton - Those Were the Days (Sugar Hill)
• Matt Pond PA - Several Arrows Later (Altitude)
• Daniel Powter - Daniel Powter (Warner Bros.)
• The Rakes - Retreat (EP; Dim Mak)
• Resident Genius/ Howard Zinn - You Can't Blow Up a Special Relationship (Thick)
• Roadrunner United - The All-Star Sessions (Roadrunner)
• Amanda Rogers - Something Borrowed Something Blue (EP; Immigrant Sun)
• Kate Rusby - The Girl Who Couldn't Fly (Compass)
• Saving Jane - Girl Next Door (Madacy)
• Sevendust - Next (WineDark/Universal)
  Read: "Sevendust Turn Up The Heaviness, Leave Beef Behind On Next"
• Kelley Stoltz - The Sun Comes Through (EP; Sub Pop)
• Story of the Year - In the Wake of Determination (Maverick)
• T.A.T.U. - Dangerous and Moving (Interscope)
• Susan Tedeschi - Hope and Desire (Verve)
• Warren G - In the Mid-Nite Hour (Lightyear)
• Paul Weller - As Is Now (Yep Roc)
• Nancy Wilson - "Elizabethtown" score (RCA)
• Woolly Bandits - Say Hello to My Little Friend (Dionysus)
• Young Playthings - Pick Up With the Young Playthings (Dionysus)
• Various artists - Numbers From the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden (Restless)
• Various artists - One Million Strong Vol. 2: Love Peace & War (Bungalo)
• Various artists - "Dora the Explorer: Dance Fiesta!" (Nick/Jive)
• Various artists - "North Country" soundtrack (Columbia)
• Various artists - "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" soundtrack (Varèse)

Notable Reissues:

• Johnny Adams - The Great Johnny Adams Blues Album (Rounder)
• Allman Brothers Band - Gold (Mercury/Universal)
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Gold (Mercury/Universal)
• Colosseum II - Strange New Flesh: Upgraded (Castle/Ryko)
• John Coltrane - One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note (two CDs; Impulse)
• The Diplomats of Solid Sound - Instrumental Action Soul (Hammondbeat)
• Dru Hill - Hits (Def Soul Classics)
• Billie Holiday - Gold (Hip-O/Universal)
• Buddy Holly - Gold (Geffen/Universal)
• Holy Terrors - This Is What It Sounds Like When You're Dead (Eulogy)
• Shirley Horn - But Beautiful: The Best of Shirley Horn on Verve (Verve)
• John Legend - Get Lifted (Columbia)
• Don McLean - Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey (Hyena)
• Men's Recovery Project - The Very Best of Men's Recovery Project (5 Rue Christine)
• Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News (DualDisc; Epic)
• Nekromantix - Brought Back to Life Again (Hellcat)
• New Edition - Gold (Hip-O/Universal)
• Linda Perry - In Flight (enhanced; Kill Rock Stars)
• Nina Simone - The Soul of Nina Simone (DualDisc; RCA)
• Lyn Taitt & the Jets - Hold Me Tight: Anthology 65-73 (Trojan)
• Tigertailz - Banzai and Berzerk (Ryko)
• Tom Verlaine - Warm and Cool (with bonus tracks; Thrill Jockey)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - A Real Mother for Ya (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - Ain't That a Bitch (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - Funk Beyond the Call of Duty (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Hank Williams - Turn Back the Years: The Essential Hank Williams Collection (Mercury Nashville)
• Bill Withers - Just as I Am (DualDisc; Columbia/Legacy)
• Yanni - Live at the Acropolis (with DVD; RCA Victor)
• Various artists - Sand & Steel: The Classic Sound of Jamaican Steel Drums (Trojan)
• Various artists - Southern Rock: Gold (Hip-O/Universal)

DVD:

• Terry Callier - "Live in Berlin" (Verve)
• Charlie Daniels - "The Kings and Friends: Live at the Gothic With Special Guest Hazel Miller" (Burnside)
• K-Ci & JoJo - "All My Life: Their Greatest Video Hits" (Universal)
• Alicia Keys - "Unplugged" (J)
• Machine Head - "Elegies" (Universal)
• Bobby McFerrin - "Live in Montreal" (Universal)
• Carmen McRae - "Live in Montreal" (Universal)

Coming Attractions:

October 18:

• Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel (Reprise)
• Ashlee Simpson - In Another Life
  Read: "Ashlee Remembers 'SNL' Incident But Forgets Boys On New LP"
• Thrice - Vheissu (Island)
  Read: "Thrice Going Underground — In A Sense — For Enigmatic Vheissu"

October 25:

• Chamillionaire - The Sound of Revenge (Universal)
• Destiny's Child - #1's (DualDisc; Columbia)
  Read: "Destiny's Child Look Back With #1's Before Going Their Separate Ways"
• Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)

November 1:

• Nirvana - Sliver: The Best of the Box (Geffen)
• Ozzy Osbourne - Under Covers (DualDisc due same day; Epic)
• Santana - All That I Am (Arista)
  Read: "Guest List For New Santana LP: Big Boi, Mary J., Will.I.Am, Bo Bice And More"

• Alicia Keys
• Ricky Martin
• Warren G
• DangerDoom
• Gang of Four

Drowningman's Simon Brody
Photo: Thorpe Records

Simon Brody's a self-proclaimed MySpace devotee. The frontman for Vermont mathcore masters Drowningman's not ashamed of that — but he has made his fair share of MySpace-related mistakes. Brody's learned from these mishaps, he said, and turned those lemons into lemonade in the form of "Major Disappointment Reporting for Duty," a track from his band's forthcoming LP Don't Push Us When We're Hot.

"Anyone who's ever met a potential romantic interest over the Internet will understand what that song title means," Brody said. "Someone's either been Major Disappointment or has met Major Disappointment. If they've ever delved into the world of MySpace and met any of those freaky people, they'll relate."

Not that the song itself is about the perils of online encounters — just the title really. Yes Brody's tempted fate by meeting several of his Internet pursuers in the flesh. But it's a practice he's given up for good.

"I've basically come to the conclusion that when any girl who seeks me out on the Internet, there's going to be problems," he elaborated. "I have met some girls on the Internet in person, and they've all been mentally unstable." One woman bought him a plane ticket and he went to visit her in Minneapolis. Another girl, this one from Virginia, drove 16 hours to visit him in Vermont. Brody's convinced it's because the photo that appears on his MySpace page shows him bareback.

But enough about Internet love unrealized. Brody's band has an album set to hit stores October 11, and like past Drowningman releases, it features some very unusual song titles ("Luck, Love, Life Time Guarantees and Other Things A--holes Believe In," "John Cougar Mellencamp Is the White Devil"). Some of them are even as unruly as the tunes themselves.

"There's always an effort made to write the most elaborate, f---ed-up song titles possible," Brody said. "This was the first time anyone else in the band tried to make suggestions for song titles but [bassist Jamie Durivage] had one that was like 'Don't Count Your Squirrels Until You Boil Them in the Good Syrup.' And I was like, 'I don't know if that's going to work.' "

Last weekend, Drowningman shot a video for the album's first single, "White People Are Stupid." That clip, too, matches the chaos of the band's sound.

"We're playing on a rotating stage, and there are these fire-breathers, people walking on tightropes, magicians doing weird sh--, and interspersed through that, there's going to be like '40s-style, black-and-white movie serial stuff, like 'Crimson Ghost' and 'Flash Gordon,' " he said. "[Director] Joseph Pattisall was trying to capture the feel of the music."

Drowningman had originally wanted to use the "Mellencamp" track, but instead, opted to avoid a lawsuit. "Although I think the Coug would've been down," Brody said. "He knows what he is."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Judas Priest have rolled out 23 dates for the second leg of their North American tour, which will feature Anthrax in a support role. Those dates start with a September 23 show in Pleasant, Michigan, and run through October 28 in Kelseyville, California. ... Disturbed have revealed dates for this fall's incarnation of the Jägermeister Music Tour; Corrosion of Conformity have been tapped to open. The 32-date run kicks off November 4 in Minneapolis and is set to promote booze in cities like Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., before calling it a day on December 22 in Baltimore. ... Prolific punk-metal act Converge have lined up several dates for their upcoming tour with the Red Chord, Darkest Hour and, appearing on select dates, Ringworm and Municipal Waste. The run commences November 4 in Latham, New York, and runs through November 20 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Additional dates are expected to be revealed shortly. ... Manic Music and Distribution is planning a Philadelphia benefit concert at the Trocadero Theatre and other relief efforts for members of New Orleans bands Crowbar, Eyehategod, Soilent Green and Goatwhore, all of whom suffered considerable losses in Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. The date for the concert will be announced shortly. Bands interested in performing should call Paula Hogan at (610) 828-8339. Anyone who can donate gear to help replace destroyed music equipment is also encouraged to call. ... Fresh off this summer's Ozzfest, and still adamantly denying their involvement in the notorious Iron Maiden egging incident, Massachusetts hardcore kings Bury Your Dead will head back out on the road this fall, with Terror, Scars of Tomorrow and August Burns Red tagging along for the chaos. The trek begins October 20 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and hits Atlanta, Nashville, West Hollywood and even West Dundee, Illinois, before closing on November 19 in Portland, Maine. ...

The latest butt-kicking stoner-metal band comes not from an experienced headbanger, but from a guy more embedded in the experimental- and indie-rock worlds. Heavy Vegetable and Pinback's Rob Crow has assembled the dense, sludgy Goblin Co--, whose debut, Bagged and Boarded, comes out October 25. While the band's look and aesthetic is tongue-in-cheek to say the least — track titles include "Kegrah the Dragon Killer" and "The Revenge of Snufalufagus" — its music is heavier than a river of molten steel. ... Revamped Swedish death metallers Dissection are close to finishing their forthcoming, yet-to-be-titled third LP, which they've been working on since February at Stockholm's Black Syndicate Studios with band frontman Jon Nödtveidt's brother Emil. A posting on Dissection's Web site characterized the material as "a work of sonic black magic." ... Italian metal act White Skull is eyeing an early 2006 release for their next disc. They've been holed up in Remaster Studio in Vicenza working on the effort, which is said to be a concept album centering on Celtic lore and culture. ... Swedish black-metal band Månegarm will release their fourth album, Vredens, September 27. The disc was produced at Studio Underground and includes "Vid Hargen," "Sigrblot" and "Skymningsresa." Your guess is as good as ours, but you bet it's pretty evil. ... Dutch death-metal band Infinite Hate will release their second record, Heaven Termination, September 27. The album features session drum work by Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Aborted). Sinisterly named tracks include "Citadel of Carnage," "Demoniacal Sepulture" and "Horned Priest." ...

The album VH1 Classic Metal Mania Stripped Volume 2: The Anthems will surface October 18. The disc features newly recorded acoustic tracks performed by Kip Winger ("Madelaine") Great White ("Rock Me"), Ratt's Stephen Pearcy ("Round and Round"), Night Ranger ("Don't Tell Me You Love Me") and more. The VH1 Classic Metal Mania: Stripped Across America tour, an acoustic show featuring Pearcy, Don Dokken, Firehouse and Warrant singer Jani Lane, will launch October 18 in conjunction with the release. Dates will be announced soon. ... Although Maryland noisemasters Dying Fetus still haven't found a drummer to replace Erik Sayenga, who left in April, they've already written six new songs for their next album, which they plan to start recording by this winter. New song titles include "Parasites of Catastrophe," "Raping the System" and "Unadulterated Hatred." Drummers who wish to apply for the gig should check out the band's Web site for a list of requirements — one being a spotless criminal record. ... Finnish blackened death-metal band Incriminated will release Promise of Worse to Come September 27. Tracks include "Born to Rule," "Melting the Core" and "Morbid Utopia." ... Oakland, California, sonic destroyers Watch Them Die's Bastard Son hit stores this week. The band will shoot a video for the title track September 14 with director Kevin Leonard (Diecast, Walls of Jericho). The dudes will tour this fall in support of Exodus and 3 Inches of Blood — a trek that starts October 4 in Tempe, Arizona, and runs through November 5 in Santa Clara, California.

• Drowningman
• Judas Priest
• Disturbed
• Manegarm