Lil' Kim has gone from the Junior M.A.F.I.A to La Bella Mafia as 50 Cent, Missy Elliott and even the Notorious B.I.G. collaborate with the Queen Bee on her new album. Meanwhile, Fabolous pairs up with some of Kim's pals, P. Diddy and Mary J. Blige, on Street Dreams.

Folk Implosion — the side project of Sebadoh's Lou Barlow that outlasted the original project — return with The New Folk Implosion. And in other side project news, Weezer's Pat Wilson's the Special Goodness releases Land, Air, Sea.

Kristin Hersh packs a double punch this week as she releases both her moody solo rock on The Grotto and her band Throwing Muses' self-titled LP.

Continuing the eponymous album trend is metal outfit Voivod's 13th record, featuring the return of original singer Denis Belanger and new member Jason Newsted, formerly of Metallica. Plus, Hootie and the Blowfish issue their new, self-titled album alongside New Zealand rockers the Datsuns.

The soundtrack to last year's indie film "The Slaughter Rule" features contributions from Ryan Adams, Neko Case and Uncle Tupelo plus covers of classics like Vic Chesnutt's "Rank Stranger." Meanwhile, Eve and Foxy Brown appear on the "Bringing Down the House" soundtrack, the movie starring that hilariously mismatched pair of Queen Latifah and Steve Martin.

Finally, Johnny Cash's American IV: The Man Comes Around is the fourth installment in the Man in Black's partnership with producer Rick Rubin. On it, Cash covers Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt," the Beatles' "In My Life" and Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus."

Out Tuesday, March 4:

• The 88 - Kind of Light (EMK)
• Ataris - So Long, Astoria (Columbia)
• Bloodthirsty Lovers - Bloodthirsty Lovers (French Kiss)
• Boomkat - The Wreckoning (DreamWorks)
• Boris - Amplifier Worship (Southern Lord)
• Budapest - Too Blind to Hear (Universal)
• Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (Universal)
  Read: "Lens Recap: The Story Behind Johnny Cash's 'Hurt'"
• Chilee Powdah - 480 Headbangers (Powdahland)
• Choppa - Straight From the N.O. (New No Limit)
• The Coral - The Coral (Columbia)
• Crusaders - Rural Renewal (GRP)
• Cursive - The Ugly Organ (Saddle Creek)
• Chris Cutler and Thomas Dimuzio - Dust (ReR)
• Datsuns - The Datsuns (V2)
• Decemberists - 5 Songs (EP, Hush)
• Delinquent Habits - Freedom Band (Ark 21)
• Drunkenmunky - E (Ultra)
• Entrance - The Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken by Storm (Tiger Style)
• Evanescence - Fallen (Wind-Up)
• Fabolous - Street Dreams (Elektra/Desert Storm)
  Read: "Fabolous Gets Payback From Missy, Lil' Mo For New Album"
  Buy Now: Street Dreams (Elektra/Desert Storm)
• Rose Falcon - Rose Falcon (EP, Columbia)
• Jay Farrar - "The Slaughter Rule" soundtrack (Bloodshot)
• Folk Implosion - The New Folk Implosion (Artist Direct)
• Beth Gibbons - Tom the Model (Universal)
• Girls in the Club - Girls in the Club (Downsouthrap)
• Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre - Love Love Love (Troubleman Unlimited)
• The Hangmen - We've Got Blood on the Toes of Our Boots (Acetate)
• Here Be Dragons - Alcohol & Rain (Silverwolf)
• Bernard Herrmann (conducted by Joel McNeely) - "The Day the Earth Stood Still" score (Varese Sarabande)
• Kristin Hersh - The Grotto (4AD/Beggars Banquet)
• Will Hoge - Black Bird on a Lonely Wire (Atlantic)
• Hollywood Hate - Product of Our Environment (TKO)
• Hootie and the Blowfish - Hootie and the Blowfish (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Hootie and the Blowfish (Atlantic)
• Hot Action Cop - Hot Action Cop (Atlantic)
• Eric Idle - The Rutland Isles (iMusic)
• Intro5pect - Intro5pect (A-F)
• Inventing Edward - We've Met an Impasse: By Midnight We'll Be Naked (Substandard)
• Stephen Jones - Almost Cured of Sadness (Sanctuary)
• Lauren Kennedy - Sings the Songs of Jason Robert Brown (Image Entertainment)
• King Crimson - The Power to Believe (Sanctuary)
• Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow (Load)
• Lil' Kim - La Bella Mafia (Queen Bee/Undeas/Atlantic)
  Read: "Lil' Kim Fights To Earn Back Street Cred On Mafia LP"
  Buy Now: La Bella Mafia (Queen Bee/Undeas/Atlantic)
• Necks - Aether (ReR)
• Oleander - Joyride(Sanctuary)
• Ossatura - Verso (ReR)
• Pay the Girl - Pay the Girl (TVT)
• Procol Harum - The Well's on Fire (Eagle)
• Red Thread - After the Last (Badman)
• Graeme Revell - "Daredevil" score (Varese Sarabande)
• Chris Rice - Run the Earth, Watch the Sky (Rocketown)
• Rivulets - Debridement (Chairkickers)
• Sharpshooters - Twice as Nice (Light in the Attic)
• Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co. (Secretly Canadian)
• The Special Goodness - Land, Air, Sea (Control Group)
• Thermals - More Parts Per Million (Sub Pop)
• Throwing Muses - Throwing Muses (4AD/Beggars Banquet)
• Triple Threat - Many Styles (Fat Beats)
• Tony Trischka - New Deal (Rounder)
• Brian Tyler - "Darkness Falls" score (Varese Sarabande)
• Under Threat - Behind Mankinds Disguise (Conquest)
• Voivod - Voivod (Chophouse/Surfdog)
  Read: "Jason Newsted Says His New Band Can Kick Metallica's Ass"
• Vue - Babies Are for Petting (EP, RCA)
• Wayne Wonder - No Holding Back (Atlantic)
• Woven Hand - Woven Hand (Sounds Familyre)
• Warren Zanes - Memory Girls (DualTone)
• Various artists - Adagio: A Windham Hill Collection (Windham Hill)
• Various artists - "Bringing Down the House" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - "First Lady Suite: A Musical by Michael John LaChiusa" soundtrack (Image Entertainment)
• Various artists - Jazz Lounge 2 (Varese Sarabande)
• Various artists - "The Quiet American" soundtrack (Varese Sarabande)
• DVD: The Chieftains - "Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions" (RCA Victor)
• DVD: George Strait - "For the Last Time - Live from the Astrodome" (MCA Nashville)

March 11:

• Various artists - Punk Goes Acoustic (Fearless)

March 18:

• Buzzcocks - Buzzcocks (Merge)

March 25:

• Celine Dion - One Heart (Sony)
• Linkin Park - Meteora (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Linkin Park Discuss Meteora, Plan Surreal Video"

• Lil' Kim
• Folk Implosion
• Cursive
• The Special Goodness
• Voivod

Lou Barlow
Photo: MTV

Although co-founder John Davis left the Folk Implosion almost a year ago, indie rock pin-up Lou Barlow has continued recording under the name and will take a retooled band on the road this spring.

The Folk Implosion kick off a 25-date tour April 13 — mostly opening for the Melvins — and plan to finish an album by late summer.

Davis, whose early-'90s demo tapes inspired Sebadoh singer/guitarist Barlow to form Folk Implosion as a side project, quit the band — and music altogether — last spring. The two had worked until then as a duo.

"It's a total bummer," Barlow said from his Los Angeles home Thursday (March 29). "He was one of the most unique talents. He just couldn't hack it. He couldn't handle the traveling or the patience it takes to record. Some people have it in them, some people don't. We had that hit early on and it really threw him. He was like, 'Oh my God, we had a hit. People are going to knock on my door. '" The Folk Implosion have yet to become household names, but their 1995 single "Natural One," from the soundtrack to the movie "Kids," was a surprise hit. The duo followed with the albums Dare to Be Surprised (1997), which featured the single "Insinuation," and One Part Lullaby (1999).

Davis' departure, along with Barlow's severe writer's block, has delayed the Folk Implosion's next album.

"Our collaboration was basically the basis for Folk Implosion," Barlow said. "Now that the record is in such a weird state, I sometimes think, 'Why the hell did I even try to do this?' " But Barlow has soldiered on, along with longtime producer Wally Gagel, and music for 14 tracks has been recorded.

"It's my duty to go through them and figure out how to put vocals on them, which I'm having an extraordinarily difficult time doing for some reason," Barlow said. "It's been a really, really slow process." Barlow described the songs as "all over the place," but said the material has elements of One Part Lullaby. "I don't focus on one thing," Barlow said. "I play guitar and bass and keyboards and drums, but I never stay on anything long enough to become a specialist at it. My voice is not very dynamic. My strengths lie in f---ing around with all kinds of music." Barlow has been recording with Sebadoh drummer and keyboardist Russell Pollard, who recruited guitarist Imaad Wasif to join the band. When Wasif's friends in the Aberdeen, Washington grunge survivors the Melvins asked if they would play some shows with them, Barlow saw a chance to get out of the studio.

"It's a good way to do it without it being, 'Here's our tour and here's our new record,' " Barlow said.

Barlow, who started out as Dinosaur Jr.'s bass player, will return to that instrument for the Folk Implosion tour and handle all of the vocals for the first time since forming the band in 1993.

"It could be interesting," he said. "We haven't practiced yet. We're going to start on Monday. We have less than two weeks to work up a 45-minute set." After playing 18 shows with the Melvins, the Folk Implosion will headline seven dates, with Barlow playing solo and Alaska (Pollard and Wasif's other band) as the openers.

The Melvins, who have released more than a dozen albums since 1986 and were an early inspiration to Nirvana, are touring in support of Electroretard, released in February.

As for Sebadoh, who last released an album, The Sebadoh, in 1999, Barlow said the band is on hold, but not finished. He hopes to record with them next year.

Folk Implosion tour dates, according to Interscope Records: With the Melvins

• 4/13 - San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
• 4/14 - Tempe, AZ @ Nita's Hideaway
• 4/15 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
• 4/17 - Austin, TX @ Stubbs Barbeque
• 4/18 - Houston, TX @ Engine Room
• 4/19 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
• 4/20 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
• 4/21 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
• 4/22 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
• 4/24 - Boston, MA @ Middle East
• 4/25 - Clifton, NY @ Northern Lights
• 4/26 - New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
• 4/27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
• 4/28 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 4/29 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Laga
• 5/1 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
• 5/2 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 5/3 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club

• 5/6 - Seattle, WA @ Graceland
• 5/7 - Portland, OR @ Pine Street Theatre
• 5/9 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's
• 5/10 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
• 5/11 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
• 5/12 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Club 634
• 5/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour

• Folk Implosion
• Lou Barlow