Rihanna's <i>A Girl Like Me</i>
Photo: Def Jam

Wasting No Time: It's only been eight months since Def Jam princess Rihanna stepped out with her Music of the Sun debut, but that's not keeping the singer from already pumping out her second record. Look for "Break It Off," a duet with Sean Paul, and "Dem Haters" (featuring Dwayne Husbands) — or, if you're in a collectible mood, check out the import-edition bonuses "Coulda Been the One" and "Who Ya Gonna Run To" (Japan), the original versions of "If It's Lovin' That You Want" and "Pon De Replay" (U.K.), and the "Full Phatt Remix" of "Pon De Replay."

Taking Back Take Over: Despite having sold more than 1.4 million copies of their two indie-label releases, Taking Back Sunday are hoping for even bigger numbers with their Warner Bros. debut, Louder Now. The punk band's "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" is a lot darker than what fans are used to, while singer Adam Lazzara has called "What It Feel Like to Be a Ghost" a song about "a pre- pre-midlife crisis."

Folked Up: Everyone knows Bruce Springsteen is one boss rocker, but he's spending his 21st record sowing his folk roots on We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, featuring 13 traditional tracks affiliated with acoustic legend Pete Seeger. The E Street Band are nowhere to be found on songs like "Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep" and "Froggie Went A-Courtin'," but Bruce introduces his new set of players in the half-hour's worth of video content on the flipside. The DualDisc version also has a special booklet with notes from the big guy, plus the bonus tracks "Buffalo Gals" and "How Can I Keep From Singing."

Oh God: For his band's fourth studio effort, Godsmack singer Sully Erna holed up in his Spiral Recordings Studio in Los Angeles — not Boston, where they're from — to sit at the decks and twiddle the knobs for the first time. The dudes sifted through 40 songs and settled on 11, including the first single, "Speak"; "Livin' in Sin"; and "Voodoo Too," a quasi-sequel to the 1998 tune "Voodoo." Wicca awesome.

Streets Hits the Pavement: The Streets is the latest artist to stream his entire album, Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living, for free on MySpace prior to its store release, and he's gone a step further by throwing some new videos on there too. Mike Skinner comes clean about everything from speeding around Vegas in a Ferrari without a license to sleeping with an unnamed female pop star on songs like "Pranging Out," "Never Went to Church" and "Fake Streets Hats."

California Civil War: If L.A. and San Fran ever wanted to duke it out musically, this'd be the week. From the Southland comes the Vacation's self-titled American Recordings debut, originally titled Band From World War Zero and released in the U.K. last year but now spruced up by Rick Rubin; "Betty Blowtorch and Her Amazing True Life Adventures," an expanded edition of the DVD chronicling the ill-fated potty-mouths; and the 13-song The Stories Are True digipak by street punks Time Again, who tread the path blazed by Rancid and TSOL.

From the Bay is Pick a Bigger Weapon, the latest batch of controversial tunes by leftist hip-hoppers the Coup that includes "Babyletshaveababybeforebushdosomethingcrazy" and "My Favorite Mutiny" and features guest spots by Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello, Talib Kweli and Jello Biafra; pure-pop collective Push to Talk's colorful eponymous first release; the self-explanatory Bay Area Funk 2: Funk and Soul Essentials From San Francisco, Oakland, and the Bay Area, featuring Project Soul, Mary Love and Soft Touch; the dronish Conference of the Birds by meditative metallers Om; and the Invaders compilation, which features sludge-meisters High on Fire. The North wins this civil war too.

Fighting for a Cause: A handful of comps try to bring attention to important topics this week, beginning with Voices From the Frontline, a 24-track journal of spoken-word confessions and songs by U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. The frank recordings include love letters back home, existential musings and harrowing near-death experiences with improvised explosive devices. Part of the proceeds go to Operation AC, a nonprofit group that provides soldiers with noncombat supplies.

The two-disc audio-and-video set "Red, Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter" doubles, oddly enough, as both a salute to the eminent American composer and a benefit for AIDS research and relief. U2, Tom Waits, Sinéad O'Connor and the Neville Brothers redo classic compositions on the CD — which originally came out as a standalone set — while directors Jonathan Demme, Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch contribute clips that address the impact of AIDS on the DVD, also featuring interviews with Richard Gere and John Malkovich. All proceeds from the set go to the Red Hot Organization.

Last but not least is Unexpected Dreams - Songs From the Stars — no, not Dreamz — a 14-track set that gives actors Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Garner, Teri Hatcher and Ewan McGregor an excuse to belt out a few choice numbers with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. John Stamos singing "Goodnight My Angel" should be reason enough to nab this gem, which supports the Philharmonics' educational arm, Music Matters.

Meet the Metalheads: There's a deluge of heavier-than-thou debuts this week, including threatening Sacramento, California, metalheads Abominable Iron Sloth's nine-track self-titled LP; doom-lovin' Black Cobra's Bestial; Austin, Texas, heavy rockers Cardinale's 31:13; and German classic-metal mavens Motorjesus' Deathrider. Enjoy.

Song Title of the Week:

"The Song We Used to Call 'Wasting Time' " from the Riverboat Gamblers' To the Confusion of Our Enemies

Other Notables:

The Secret Machines' Ten Silver Drops: The New York psych-otics nod to avant-gardists Kraftwerk and La Dusseldorf on their second outing, which consists of eight songs revolving around isolation that were mixed by Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails, Yeah Yeah Yeahs). The eight-minute "Daddy's in the Doldrums" highlights the set of effects-heavy tunes, which also features the slightly more upbeat "Lightning Blue Eyes" and "I Hate Pretending."

Amel Larrieux's Morning: Larrieux hails from L.A., but her third opus melds straight-up R&B and soul with Middle Eastern and West African sounds. The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter and Groove Theory member spends the title track ruminating on insomnia, uses innovative sound delays on "Mountain of When," and devotes the last track, "Weary," to hardworking bachelors everywhere.

... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead's Live Slew: The exhaustively named Austin, Texas, post-rockers have an even more exhaustive heap of limited-edition live discs this week, including 12 individualized 2005 gigs from their hometown, Detroit, San Francisco and Boston. Call it pulling a Pearl Jam.

New Releases:

• 10 City Run - Somethin' Else (Universal South)
• Abominable Iron Sloth - Abominable Iron Sloth (Goodfellow)
• ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Axis Nightclub - Boston, MA 4/12/05, 'Canes - San Diego, CA 5/28/05, Canopy Club - Urbana, IL 4/21/05, Emo's - Austin, TX 4/30/05, Fillmore - San Francisco, CA 5/25/05, First Ave - Minnesota, MN 4/25/05, Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS 4/27/05, Gypsy Tea Room - Dallas, TX 4/29/05, Irving Plaza - New York NY, 4/10/05, Majestic Theater - Detroit, MI 4/20/05, Metro Smart Bar - Chicago IL 4/22/05, Sokol Auditorium - Omaha NE 4/26/05 (limited-edition sets; Instant Live)
• Natacha Atlas - Mish Maoul (Beggars)
• Avant - Director (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Director (Geffen)
• Bob Belden - "Three Days of Rain" soundtrack (Sunny Side)
• Tab Benoit - Brother to the Blues (Telarc)
• Black Cobra - Bestial (At a Loss)
• Blanco Diablo - Paper Poison Revolution (Rock Ridge)
• The Cardinal Sin - Hurry Up and Wait (Grey Flight)
• Cardinale - 31:13 (Arclight)
• Chas Mtn - Hugs (Western Vinyl)
• Christ.O - Vanden Plas (Inside Out)
• Clan of Xymox - Breaking Point (Metropolis)
• The Coup - Pick a Bigger Weapon (Epitaph)
• The Drips - The Drips (White Drugs)
• Eleventh Dream Day - Zeroes and Ones (Thrill Jockey)
• Elf Power - Back to the Web (Rykodisc)
  Buy Now: Back to the Web (Rykodisc)
• Fermata - Vessel (EP; Dough Main)
• The Fever - In the City of Sleep (Kemado)
  Buy Now: In the City of Sleep (Kemado)
• Filastine - Burn It (Soot)
• Freeheat - Back on the Water (Planting Seeds)
• Godsmack - IV (Republic)
  Read: "Godsmack Finishing Up 'Killer' Fourth LP, Working On Football Theme"
  Buy Now: IV (Republic)
• The Golden Gods - ... The Thorny Crown of Rock and Roll (Control Group)
• Goo Goo Dolls - Let Love In (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Let Love In (Warner Bros.)
• Eddy Grant - Reparation (Ice)
• Groove Collective - People People Music Music (digipak; Savoy Jazz)
• Günther - Pleasureman (digipak; Rhino)
• Danielle Howle - Thank You Mark (Valley)
• Jehro - Jehro (Recall)
• Jeff Healey & the Jazz Wizards - It's Tight Like That (Stony Plain)
• Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris - All the Roadrunning (Warner Bros.)
• Gregg Kowalsky - Through the Cardial Window (Kranky)
• Amel Larrieux - Morning (Bliss Life)
  Buy Now: Morning (Bliss Life)
• The Late Cord - Lights From The Wheelhouse (EP; 4AD)
• Cheikh Lô - Lamp Fall (Nonesuch)
• Michy Mano - Cool Side of the Pillow (Enja Justin Time)
• Rose Melberg - Cast Away the Clouds (Double Agent)
• MercyMe - Coming Up to Breathe (Columbia)
• Paolo Mojo - Balance 009 (two CDs; EQ)
• Moonspell - Memorial (special edition; Steamhammer/ SPV)
• Motorjesus - Deathrider (Locomotive)
• Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory - Tree Colored See (Mush)
• The Obsessed - Lunar Womb (Meteor City)
• Om - Conference of The Birds (Holy Mountain)
• One Bad Son - This Aggression Will Not Stand (Versailles)
• OSI - Free (Inside Out)
• Push to Talk - Push to Talk (Doghouse)
• RadioVipers - The Morning Sunburst (Versailles)
• The Rakes - Capture/ Release (V2)
• Rihanna - A Girl Like Me (Def Jam)
  Read: "Rihanna Getting In Touch With Her Rock Side For Next LP"
  Buy Now: A Girl Like Me (Def Jam)
• Rin' - Inland Sea (Domo)
• Riverboat Gamblers - To the Confusion of Our Enemies (Volcom)
• Rachael Sage - The Blistering Sun ... (Mpress)
• The Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops (Reprise)
• Shooting at Unarmed Men - Yes Tinnitus (Too Pure/ Beggars)
• Silent Civilian - Rebirth of the Temple (Mediaskare)
• Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (DualDisc also available; Columbia)
  Buy Now: We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Columbia)
• Starlight Mints - Drowaton (digipak; Barsuk)
  Buy Now: Drowaton (Barsuk)
• Stars and Stripes - One Man Army (I Scream)
• The Streets - Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (Vice)
  Buy Now: Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (Vice)
• Jimmy Sturr - Greatest Hits of Polka (Rounder Select)
• Survivor - Reach (Frontiers)
• Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Taking Back Sunday Say Debuting At #800 Wouldn't Bother Them"
  Buy Now: Louder Now (warner Bros.)
• Michael Talbott & the Wolfkings - Freeze-Die-Come to Life (Antenna Farm)
• The Terms - Small Town Computer Crash (Maple Jam)
• Irma Thomas - After the Rain (Rounder)
• Time Again - The Stories Are True (digipak; Hellcat)
• Nestor Torres - Dances, Prayers & Meditations for Peace (Heads Up)
• The Vacation - The Vacation (American/ Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Meet The Vacation: A Band Not Afraid To Bleed For Rock"
• Tom Verlaine - Around and Songs and Other Things (Thrill Jockey)
• Violet Nine - Any Wonder (PKG Entertainment)
• Voices & Organs - Orphanage (Western Vinyl)
• The Waybacks - From the Pasture to the Future (Compass)
• Various artists - Bay Area Funk 2: Funk and Soul Essentials From San Francisco, Oakland, and the Bay Area (Luv N'Haight)
• Various artists - Invaders (Kemado)
• Various artists - It's So Easy: A Millennium Tribute to Guns N' Roses (Versailles)
• Various artists - The Projekt Almost Free CD (digipak; Projekt)
• Various Artists -- Unexpected Dreams - Songs From the Stars (Rhino)
• Various artists - Voices From the Frontline (Crosscheck)
• Various artists - "Halo 2 Original Soundtrack: Volume 2" (Sumthing Else)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Agoraphobic Nosebleed - PCP Tornado (three-inch CD with second CD; Hydra Head)
• Rance Allen - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Ass Ponys - Okra Years (two CDs; Shake It)
• Booker T & The MG's - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Cinderella - Gold (Mercury/ Universal)
• The Cowsills - Painting the Day: The Angelic Psychedelia of the Cowsills (Él)
• Marianne Faithfull - Fuel Presents an Introduction to Marianne Faithfull (Fuel)
• Feist - Open Season: Remixes and Collabs (Arts & Crafts)
• Eddie Floyd - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Helloween - Chameleon (two CDs with seven bonus tracks), Pink Bubbles Go Ape (with four bonus tracks) and Walls of Jericho (two-CD reissue with Helloween EP and bonus track) (Sanctuary Classics)
• k.d. lang - Reintarnation (digipak; Rhino)
• Howard Keel - Fuel Presents an Introduction to Howard Keel (Fuel)
• Doug Kershaw - Fuel Presents an Introduction to Doug Kershaw (Fuel)
• Albert King - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Little Milton - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Mama's Boys - Power & Passion (Gott Discs)
• Otis Redding - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Frankie Ruiz - Gold (two CDs; Universal Latino)
• Rush - Gold (Mercury/ Universal)
• Scorpions - Gold (two CDs; Hip-O)
• Solas - Reunion: A Decade of Solas (with DVD; Compass)
• Johnnie Taylor - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Ten Tenors -- Tenology (Rhino)
• Carla Thomas - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Rufus Thomas - Stax Profiles (Stax)
• Various artists - Classic African-American Ballads From Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways)
• Various artists - Disco Remixed 2 (Empire Musicwerks)
• Various artists - Hip-Hop Gold (Hip-O)
• Various artists - Jazz Vocalists: Hear & Now (Concord)
• Various artists - Moments to Remember: The Golden Hits of the '50s and '60s (three CDs; Shout! Factory)
• Various artists - That's Entertainment! The Ultimate Anthology of MGM Musicals (six CDs; Rhino)

Music DVDs:

• After the Fire - "Live at Greenbelt" (Music Video Distributors)
• Bernard Allison - "Energized - Live in Europe" (Music Video Distributors)
• Anti-Flag - "Death of a Nation" (Music Video Distributors)
• Arena - "Smoke & Mirrors" (Music Video Distributors)
• The Beatles - "Liverpool" (two DVDs; Arts Magic)
• Betty Blowtorch - "Betty Blowtorch and Her Amazing True Life Adventures" (Cinema Libre)
• Cam'ron - "Killa Season" (Asylum/ Rap-a-Lot)
• Candido - "Hands of Fire" (Music Video Distributors)
• Captain Beefheart - "Under Review" (Sexy Intellectual)
• Mariah Carey - "Unauthorized: Definition of a Diva" (Music Video Distributors)
• Rosemary Clooney - "Great Women Singers of the 20th Century" (Kultur)
• DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist - "Freeze" (Freeze)
• D.O.A. - "Positively D.O.A.: Live" (Cherry Red)
• Exodus - "A Ray of Sunshine" (Music Video Distributors)
• Gun Club - "Live at the Hacienda" (Cherry Red)
• Head Cat - "Rockin the Cat Club: Live From the Sunset Strip" (Cleopatra)
• Joe Pro - "Still Crunk" (Joe Pro)
• Landmarq - "Turbulence: Live in Poland" (Music Video Distributors)
• Likehell - "The Unbelievably True and Amazingly Accurate Story Behind Rock's Most Legendary Supergroup" (S.O.S. Productions)
• Metallica - "Kill Em All to St. Anger: The Ultimate Critical Review" (Classic Rock Legends)
• Nico - "All Tomorrow's Parties: Nico Live" (Cherry Red)
• Joel Plaskett Emergency - "Make a Little Noise" (Maple)
• Refused - "Refused Are F---ing Dead" (Epitaph)
• Steel Pulse - "Introspective" (United States Distributors)
• Turbo - "The History: 1980-2005" (Music Video Distributors)
• The Velvet Underground - "Under Review" (Sexy Intellectual)
• Various artists - "Black History Part 1" and "Part 2" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Cornbread Presents Street Heat, Volume 17: Got Drank? Hosted by Bun B" (Cornbread)
• Various artists - "Dancehall Boom Dynamite" (Iriedvd.com)
• Various artists - "Groupies: The Movie" (Cleopatra)
• Various artists - "Heartbeat Video Culture Splash" (Heartbeat)
• Various artists - "Island Explosion '06 Part 1" and "Part 2" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "King of Kings: Unite the People" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Metal's Dark Side, Volume 1: The Hard and the Furious" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Original Dancehall Jam Jam Part 1," "Part 2" and "Part 3" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Punk Icons: The Ultimate Collection" (Classic Rock Legends)
• Various artists - "Red, Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter" (with CD; Shout! Factory)
• Various artists - "Street Dogg 2: The Adventure Continues" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Unity Splash Part One" and "Part Two" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "West Kingston Jamboree Part 1" and "Part 2" (Music Video Distributors)

Coming Attractions:
May 2:

• Mobb Deep - Blood Money (Interscope)
  Read: "Mobb Deep, 50 Cent Get Tattoos To Prove Their Loyalty"
  Buy Now: Blood Money (Interscope)
• Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam (J)
  Read: "Pearl Jam, Post-'Therapy': 'The Sex Is Better Than Ever!' "
• Thursday - A City by the Light Divided (Island)
  Read: "Thursday Frontman Says He Doesn't Want To Exploit My Chemical Romance, But ..."
  Buy Now: A City by the Light Divided (Island)
• Tool - 10,000 Days (Volcano)

Buy Now: 10,000 Days (Volcano)

May 9:

• The Isley Brothers - Baby Makin' Music (Island)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (two CDs; limited edition with DVD also available; Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Chili Peppers Stoked About New Album, Possible Kanye Tour"
  Buy Now: Stadium Arcadium (Warner Bros.)
• Snow Patrol - Eyes Open (A&M)
  Read: "Snow Patrol Turn 'Candy-Assed' Music Into Beastly Arena Rock"
  Buy Now: Eyes Open (A&M)

May 16:

• Ashley Parker Angel - Soundtrack to Your Life (Universal)
  Buy Now: Soundtrack to Your Life (Universal)
• Cam'ron - Killa Season (limited-edition version with DVD and two bonus tracks also available; Rap-a-Lot)
  Read: "Mixtape Monday: LL Cool J Stays Hungry, Cam'ron Delivers A Preview"
  Buy Now: Killa Season (Rap-a-Lot)
• Hoobastank - Every Man for Himself (Island)
  Read: "Hoobastank Find Inspiration For New LP In Scott Weiland's Cold Shoulder"
  Buy Now: Every Man for Himself (Island)
• Christina Milian - So Amazin' (enhanced; Def Jam)
  Buy Now: So Amazin' (Def Jam)
• The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers (V2/ Third Man)
  Read: "Jack White: Don't Call The Raconteurs A Side Project"
• Rock Kills Kid - Are You Nervous? (Reprise)
  Read: "Rock Kills Kid Bring Music From Windowless Room To Radio"

• Rihanna
• Taking Back Sunday
• Godsmack
• Bruce Springsteen
• Secret Machines

Scissor Sisters (file)
Photo: Universal Records

The biggest winners at Wednesday night's Brit Awards in London were ...

American camp-rockers the Scissor Sisters. The flashy, trashy disco-rock group — whose self-titled debut was the top-selling album of last year in England — won three awards at the British answer to the Grammys, including International Breakthrough Act, Best International Group and Best International Album. The group blew open the night's proceedings with a typically over-the-top performance of their hit "Take Your Mama," which had them bursting out of a pair of golden eggs laid by a huge pink rooster.

The evening's other big winners include Glasgow, Scotland, rockers Franz Ferdinand (Best British Group and Best British Rock Act), Keane (whose Hopes and Fears won Best British Album and British Breakthrough) and teenage soul diva Joss Stone (Best British Female Solo Artist and Best Urban Act). The Best Male Solo Artist award went to gritty rapper Mike Skinner (a.k.a the Streets), and Muse were named Best British Live Act.

The Sisters weren't the only Yanks to crash the proceedings, as Gwen Stefani swept up the International Female Solo Artist trophy and Eminem won for International Male Solo Artist.

Live Aid founder Sir Bob Geldof was given an award for outstanding contribution to music for his work raising money for African famine relief and leading the Irish band the Boomtown Rats.

In a reflection of his massive popularity in England, Robbie Williams' "Angels" was picked as the best song of the past 25 years by a poll of BBC radio listeners, beating out selections by Queen, Kate Bush, Joy Division and "Pop Idol" winner Will Young.

• Franz Ferdinand
• Scissor Sisters
• Keane
• The Streets
• Muse

• Franz Ferdinand
• Wilco
• Ghostface Killah
• Dizzee Rascal
• The Streets

Blink-182 got in touch with their inner philanthropists on Wednesday when two of the three members helped paint a Habitat for Humanity house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. According to The Associated Press, drummer Travis Barker had to watch from the sidelines since recent foot surgery put him on crutches. The band was in town to play a show at nearby Hershey, Pennsylvania's Star Pavilion that night. ...

Ozzy is wondering if you have what it takes to share his stage. The Prince of F---ing Darkness and his wife are looking for eight unsigned bands to compete for the chance to perform on the main stage of Ozzfest, alongside headliners Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Slayer. Winners also receive a second-stage slot on Ozzfest 2005, music equipment and cash. More info is available on www.ozzfest.com. ... The Pixies have added another crop of dates to their reunion trek, filling in some blanks on a tour that runs through December 6 in Washington, D.C. New markets on the band's itinerary include Camden, New Jersey; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Birmingham, Alabama; Las Vegas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Nashville. ... Famed DJ Scratch is working on a documentary on the origins of his career in turntablism. "The DJ: The DJ Scratch Story" features interviews with Jay-Z, Redman, Busta Rhymes and others. The DVD is expected to drop this fall. ... Basement Jaxx have been added to Lollapalooza's main stage for four West Coast shows: July 15 in Seattle, July 18 in San Francisco, July 21 in Ventura, California, and July 23 in San Diego. The electronic duo's latest album, Kish Kash, was released in October. ...

Chaka Zulu, music entrepreneur and co-CEO of Ebony Son Entertainment/ Disturbing Tha Peace Entertainment, will be promoting fatherhood a little before Father's Day. Ludacris' longtime business partner and friend, Zulu will be the keynote speaker at the National Fatherhood Initiative's Seventh Annual National Summit on Fatherhood. The summit takes place on June 8 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta. ... U.K. hip-hop sensation the Streets will embark on a Stateside tour to support his second album, A Grand Don't Come for Free. Five dates of the three-week trek, which begins June 11 in Mountain View, California, are with fellow Brit b-boy Dizzee Rascal. ...

Former Queens of the Stone Age bassist and singer Nick Oliveri will release a solo acoustic record later this summer. Oliveri also continues to work with his band Mondo Generator on a new album, which is being produced by former Queens drummer Gene Trautmann. ... Megadeth's still-untitled new album will come out September 14. In addition, seven records from Megadeth's back catalog will be released July 27. Each disc will feature up to four bonus tracks. ...

Lars Frederiksen won't be seeing much of his humble abode this summer. The Rancid guitarist and his band the Bastards will set out on the Punks Vs. Psychos Tour (June 1-13) with the Horrorpops, Nekromantix and Disasters before beginning a headlining tour (June 14 to July 6) that will bleed into their monthlong stint on the Vans Warped Tour, which begins July 20 in Milwaukee. The Bastards' second album, Viking, is set to drop July 29. ... Thrice and indie label Sub City Records were honored last week at the first Sub City/ Thrice Scholarship awards ceremony at the A Place Called Home youth center in South Central Los Angeles. The band and label raised over $57,000 for the center by donating a portion of each sale of Thrice's 2002 album, The Illusion of Safety. A portion of sales from the group's 2003 Island Records album, The Artist in the Ambulance, has also gone to charities. ...

The Allman Brothers Band will release the first anthology to span their 35-year career on June 8. The two-CD Stand Back: The Anthology will feature 32 digitally remastered recordings, at least one from each of their 13 studio albums and Live at Fillmore East. ... Rush will release an eight-song covers EP on June 29 to celebrate their 30-year anniversary. The disc features versions of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and "Mr. Soul," the Yardbirds' "Heart Full of Soul" and "Shapes of Things," the Who's "The Seeker," Alice Cooper's cover of Love's "Seven and Seven Is," Blue Cheer's rendition of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" and Cream's take on Robert Johnson's "Crossroads." Rush launched their 30th anniversary tour on Wednesday in Nashville. Dates run through August 22 in their hometown of Toronto. ...

5.26.2004

Bad Boy will release a remastered, 10-year anniversary edition of Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album, Ready to Die, on July 13. The CD will feature two previously commercially unavailable songs, "Ready" and "Who Shot Ya?," and will come with an accompanying DVD featuring Biggie's videos and a live performance in Atlanta. ...

Three years after founding the nonprofit Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Russell Simmons is reaching out to the Latino community with the Latino Hip-Hop Summit, taking place July 13 at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York. Fat Joe, Angie Martinez, Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and Rosie Perez, among others, were on hand when Simmons announced the event at a press conference in New York Monday. ... As Madonna resumes her tour, plans for her TV concert special are moving forward as well. The CBS two-hour special looks like it will be filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, and though there's no air date yet, a fall date "seems probable," according to the singer's spokesperson. ...

New York radio station Hot 97 has announced that its June 12 Summer Jam concert at Giants Stadium will now feature a fashion show, freestyle battle area and a second stage. Lil' Wayne, Erick Sermon, Dead Prez, Pitbull, Philly's Most Wanted, Posta Boy, Lyfe, James Lee and Roc-A-Fella's own Rell, Allen Anthony, Nicole Rae and Denim will kick things off early in the afternoon on the small stage before Lil Jon, Alicia Keys, Outkast's Big Boi, the entire G-Unit and others hit the big stage. ... Kid Rock, Cypress Hill, Nickelback, Ludacris, Our Lady Peace and Lil Jon and Tha Eastside Boyz are on board for the second annual Coors Light Mountain Jam on August 14 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, outside Denver. Last year's event boasted performances by 50 Cent, Korn, P.O.D., the Roots and Evanescence. ...

Former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland plans to hit the studio to record a bunch of songs with Danny Lohner and Telefon Tel Aviv's Josh Eustis. Mellowdrone singer/guitarist Jonathan Bates is expected to join the trio later in the month. ... The Red Hot Chili Peppers are bringing a little something extra on their tour of the U.K. — the Godfather of Soul. James Brown will bring his time-tested funk on the journey, opening up five dates starting June 18 in Manchester and ending June 25 in Hyde Park. ...

The search begins for America's next make-believe guitar hero next month at the second annual U.S. Air Guitar Championships, to be held in Chicago (June 3), Denver (June 10), Minneapolis (June 10), New York (June 12) and Los Angeles (June 17). The five regional winners will compete June 17 in L.A. for the American crown, and one lucky winner will receive a trip to Oulu, Finland, for the Air Guitar World Championships. ... Jai Rodriguez, the culture guy on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," is returning to Broadway, but just for a two-week fling. Rodriguez will star as Angel in "Rent" starting July 5 and running through July 17. ... The Bad Boys didn't have too far to travel Tuesday night when they hit New York's Babalu for a LifeBeat charity concert. Loon, Mario Winans, Carl Thomas and 8Ball and MJG, who all performed, just had to walk a few steps from P. Diddy's Daddy's House studio to the club. ...

As Michael Jackson's Friday hearing date draws closer, attorneys on all sides are filing a flurry of motions about which court documents should be kept under seal. Both the defense and the prosecution wish to keep the grand-jury transcripts and the indictment secret, while lawyers for the media argue that those documents should be made public. Jackson's team tried to keep his motions for reduction of bail and to compel more discovery under seal, and while Judge Rodney Melville granted their requests, the motions were made public in an edited form. ... P. Diddy, Godsmack's Sully Erna, Staind's Aaron Lewis, Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels, Clint Black, Macy Gray and Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik will be among the celebrity judges for this year's International Songwriting Competition. Submissions will be accepted until October 15, and the grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 in cash and $30,000 in merchandise and services. An additional $60,000 will be distributed between 49 other winners in various categories. More information can be found at www.songwritingcompetition.com/entry2004.htm. ...

• blink-182
• Ozzy Osbourne
• The Pixies
• Jay-Z
• Basement Jaxx

Alanis Morissette (file)
Photo: Maverick

The race for #1 on the next Billboard 200 chart will be a tough one to handicap, as the platinum pack of New Found Glory, Method Man, Lenny Kravitz and Alanis Morissette all have new horses shooting from the gate Tuesday.

New Found Glory's latest, Catalyst, already has some momentum from the single "All Downhill From Here," and they'll be touring on the Vans Warped Tour this summer.

Meanwhile, Method Man enlists the aid of performers Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and RZA for Tical 0: The Prequel, his first studio album since 1999's Blackout!

Lenny Kravitz also returns after a lengthy absence, as the sensual soul-rocker's Baptism marks his first album since 2001's Lenny.

Two tormented singers with somewhat similar names also release albums this week. The heavily hyped Morrissey album You Are the Quarry is the brooding singer's first studio LP since 1997's Maladjusted. And Alanis Morissette's new So-Called Chaos finds the singer equally thoughtful, if somewhat less angst-ridden.

The Streets' A Grand Don't Come for Free follows up 2002's Original Pirate Material. George Michael gets his faith back with Patience, his first album since 1999's Songs From the Last Century, and Tori Amos releases a DVD called "Welcome to Sunny Florida," which includes the bonus CD Scarlett's Hidden Treasures.

Out Tuesday, May 18:

• Alice Donut - Three Sisters (Howler)
• Amen - Death Before Musick (EatURMusic)
• Athlete - Vehicles & Animals (Astralwerks)
• Beyond the Embrace - Insect Song (Metal Blade)
• Johnny Budz - Hit Factory (Tommy Boy)
• Joey Cape and Tony Sly - Acoustic (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Catheters - Howling ... It Grows and Grows!!! (Sub Pop)
• Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour (Rough Trade)
• Dieselboy - The Dungeonmaster's Guide (System)
• André Ethier - Andre Ethier With Christopher Sandes Featuring Pickles & Price (Sonic Unyon)
• The Fever - Red Bedroom (Kemado)
• Fulanito - La Verdad (Cutting)
• Gomez - Split the Difference (Virgin)
• The Good Life - Lovers Need Lawyers (Saddle Creek)
• Guster - Guster On Ice: Live From Portland, Maine (CD/DVD combo, Palm/Reprise)
• Juliana Hatfield - In Exile Deo (Zoe/Rounder)
• Kees Hazevoet - Pleasure (Atavistic/UMS)
• Heavils - Heavilution (Metal Blade)
• Doug Hilsinger with Caroleen Beatty - Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy (DBK Works)
• Gregory Isaacs - Open the Door (Ras)
• Sean Jones - Eternal Journey (Mack Avenue)
• JW-Jones Blues Band - My Kind of Evil (NorthernBlues)
• Lenny Kravitz - Baptism (Virgin)
  Read: "Lenny Kravitz Ditches Funk, Feels Reborn On Baptism"
  Buy Now: Baptism (Virgin)
  
• Jim Lauderdale - Headed for the Hills (DualTone)
• Alvin Lee - In Tennessee (Rainman)
• Michael Lington - Stay With Me (Rendezvous)
• Charlie Mars - Charlie Mars (V2)
• Harvey Mason - With All My Heart (Bluebird)
• McLusky - The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire (Beggars Banquet)
• Mekons - Honky Tonkin' (Quarterstick)
• Method Man - Tical 0: The Prequel (Def Jam)
• George Michael - Patience (Epic)
• Monofader - Frost (Metropolis)
• Montgomery Gentry - You Do Your Thing (Columbia)
• Alanis Morissette - So-Called Chaos (Maverick)
  Buy Now: So-Called Chaos (Maverick)
  
• Morrissey - You Are the Quarry (Sanctuary/Attack)
  Buy Now: You Are the Quarry (Sanctuary/Attack)
  
• Sam Myers - Coming From the Old School (Electro-Fi)
• New Found Glory - Catalyst (Drive Thru/Geffen)
  Read: "New Found Glory Keep It Real In The Face Of Success"
  Buy Now: Catalyst (Drive Thru/Geffen)
  
• The New Year - The End Is Near (Touch and Go)
• Ocean Size - Effloresce (Beggars Banquet)
• OCS - Two (Narnack)
• Paul Oscher - Alone With the Blues (Electro-Fi)
• Paco - This Is Where We Live (Unfiltered)
• Evalyn Parry - Unreasonable (Borealis)
• Piebald - All Ears, All Eyes, All the Time (SideOneDummy)
• Raising the Fawn - The North Sea (Sonic Unyon)
• Rival - State of Mind (Metal Blade)
• Mario Schiano - On the Waiting List (Atavistic/UMS)
• Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere (Sire/Reprise)
• Sixtoo - Chewing on Glass and Other Miracle Cures (Ninja Tune)
• Sleep Station - After the War (Eyeball)
• Slick and the Shock Mob - Product of My Environment (First Kut)
• Sly & Robbie - Riddim — The Best of Sly & Robbie in Dub: 1978 to 1985 (Sanctuary/Trojan)
• Darden Smith - Circo (DualTone)
• The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free (Atlantic)
• Thermals - F---in A (Sub Pop)
• To Rococo Rot - Hotel Morgen (Domino)
• Twiztid - Cryptic Collection 3 (Psychopathic)
• Two Dollar Pistols - Hands Up! (Yep Roc)
• White Boy - No Gray Area (Icee/Big Daddy)
• White Magic - Through the Sun Door (Drag City)
• Various artists - Modern Day Troubadours (Nettwerk)
• Various artists - True Notes Vol. 1 (Okayplayer)
• Various artists - Queer for the Ear: Extreme Makeovers for Disco Dance Classics (VI Music)
• DVD: Tori Amos - "Welcome to Sunny Florida" (includes CD, Epic)
• DVD: Project Pitchfork - "Live 2003" (Metropolis)
• DVD: Busta Rhymes - "Everything Remains Raw" (Eagle Vision)

May 25:

• Everlast - White Trash Beautiful (Island)
• Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin (Arista)
  Read: "Avril Lavigne: No Looking Back"
• Slipknot-Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Slipknot Album Preview: More Structured, But Still Programmed To Kill"

June 1:

• Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur (Capitol)
  Read: "Ex-Hole Bassist Follows Orders From The Aliens In Her Head"
  
• Truth Hurts - Ready Now (Pookie)

June 8:

• The Calling - Two (RCA)
  Read: "The Calling Returning With New LP, New Hired Hands"
• Corrs - Borrowed Heaven (Atlantic)
• Gene Simmons - A--hole (Sanctuary)
• Velvet Revolver - Contraband (RCA)
  Read: "Velvet Revolver Album Preview: GN'R + STP = Uphill Battle"

June 22:

• Mobb Deep - Amerikaz Nightmare (Jive)
• Stevie Wonder - A Time 2 Love (Motown)

• New Found Glory
• Method Man
• Lenny Kravitz
• Alanis Morissette
• Morrissey

The Streets
Photo: Vice Recordings

The Streets is still pushing his debut album forward in America, but in his homeland the British rapper is ready to move on.

Mike Skinner, as the MC is otherwise known, is about halfway through the follow-up to his acclaimed Original Pirate Material (see "Top U.K. Rapper Admits British Hip-Hop Invasion Unlikely").

"It's a bit older and a bit more eclectic sounding," Skinner said of the new material, which he plans to finish by summer. "It's still the Streets and there's still garage in it, but it's classic hip-hop-sounding."

Since Original Pirate Material was released in the States a year ago, Skinner has fielded collaboration requests from Outkast and other rappers, but on his second album, like his first, there will be no guests.

"I've got a lot of American idols, like Redman and Nas, but I don't think they would totally fit into what I'm doing," he explained. "I think the whole concept of the Streets is quite personal, so it's hard to get other people to write and have the same vision on each track."

Meanwhile, the Streets will continue to hit the streets of America behind his first record, touring and releasing a second single, most likely "Has It Come to This?," his first U.K. single and video.

"We're a lot tighter now as a band," Skinner said of his live show, which he first took overseas in the fall. "I do draw on hip-hop more than any other style, and that's what I listen to, but I don't think hip-hop is really designed to be live. We do it more as like a punk band."

The Streets tour dates, according to his publicist:

• 3/17 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 3/19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
• 3/20 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
• 3/22 - Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park (Ultra Music Festival)

• The Streets

The Streets
Photo: 679 Recordings

Mike Skinner, a.k.a. The Streets, is the hottest British rapper since, well, ever.

Pressed to name other English MCs who've paved the way for his Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Original Pirate Material (October 8), Skinner is at a loss for words.

"There's the So Solid Crew," the 23-year-old said of the thuggish, 30-man posse known as much for their rap sheets and gangsta posing as microphone skills. "But really I'm the only one doing it this way."

And by "this way," the unassuming North London rapper means a wholly original, authentic blend of the U.K. underground garage dance scene's skittering, double-time beats and a thick-as-kidney-pie lyrical delivery that's undeniably English, even as it pays homage to trailblazing American rappers. U.S. audiences might need subtitles to follow Skinner's stories, but there's no denying the power of his keenly observed snapshots of life as a bored "geezer" in the U.K. club scene.

Like a lot of 20-year-olds, Skinner grew up listening to his older brother's records: Run-DMC, Beastie Boys and the like. But it wasn't until he turned 17 and discovered the Wu-Tang Clan that Skinner realized what he wanted to do with his life. It was also then that he made the stylistic choice that would earn his status as a voice worth listening to and inspire the English music press to dub him "the first English rapper."

"When you're younger, you copy the people you listen to and you put on an American accent," Skinner said of his fascination with the Wu-Tang's dark musical beds, kung fu obsessions and lyrical delivery. "But no one takes notice of you if you do that because it sounds completely false. And this is just the way we talk. It's just as easy as trying to sound American." Replace Shaolin with ancient Roman warriors, Strong Island with grimy London pubs and the "n" word with "geezers" and you have The Streets.

After trying his hand as a working-class stiff at Burger King and sweeping floors at a gas station, Skinner set up a recording studio in his parents' home inside a wardrobe, using stolen microphones. Programming the beats and splicing the music together by himself, Skinner emerged with an album that immediately drew attention in the hyped garage scene. By relying on a decidedly British sensibility ("My crew laughs at your rhubarb and custard verses"), songs like "Turn the Page" mix Skinner's thick-accented, gladiator-themed boasts with violins and dance beats.

Though Skinner claims that "Has It Come to This?" is "not a club track," the hard-partying rhyme bubbles along on an insistent garage beat and a smooth-jazz keyboard riff. The song, with its cut-up beats, is Skinner's take on what one of his hip-hop idols, DJ Premier, might do if he made a garage track.

It's one of more than half a dozen slice-of-life tracks that chronicle the often inebriated existence of Skinner and his fellow "geezers."

In some ways, it's there that Skinner has the most in common with his American counterparts. From the sound of it, Skinner and his boys frequently indulge in "Too Much Brandy," as evidenced by that Dr. Dre-influenced car crash of fat, froggy beats and basslines, and a sing-songy chorus.

"'The Real Slim Shady' was in my head when I wrote it," Skinner said of his catalog of illicit activity. "Even though it sounds a bit like that record, it's a hell of a lot more that's mine. I'd go toe-to-toe with Eminem anytime."

The song, which is all true, according to Skinner, is a sometimes scary look at the R-rated hi-jinks he and his crew get up to when they go out. "Six of us lads came to New York last year and got thrown out of three places," Skinner boasted. "When we drink beer, some of my mates get hectic. One of them ended up starting a fight with the security staff, and in England they give you a proper beating down if you do that. Here they just tossed us out. It was a flashy place with proper people with proper haircuts. We didn't really belong. These are all stories that are taken from my life, rearranged a bit."

Skinner knows he's not likely to woo American audiences with his club-conscious rhymes, but, as is typically the case, he couldn't be bothered to care.

"In America they have this [negative] association in their mind with dance music or the rave culture," he said. "But it's been our street culture for 15 years. I've made a record in England for English people. One day they phoned me up and said, 'Do you fancy going to New York and talking about yourself and getting free trainers?' So, I can't understand why anyone in America would want to get into it. Americans are insular — they don't need to go outside America for anything. They're not ready for it."

• The Streets

The Streets and Dizzee Rascal Live at Irving Plaza, NYC 06.29.2004

• The Streets
• Dizzee Rascal

The Streets Photos

• The Streets