Fresh off her television appearance that lit up message boards everywhere, Whitney Houston is ready to get people talking again with her first release in four years, Just Whitney.
Of course, if you don't want an album that "just" features one artist, there's always hip-hop CDs with their many guest appearances. Common's Electric Circus features everyone from Erykah Badu and Jill Scott to Sonny from P.O.D. and the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams. Nas's double album God's Son, whose release date was bumped up to combat bootleggers, steers clear of Murder Inc. colleagues in favor of Alicia Keys and Kelis. And GZA teams up with many of his Wu-Tang affiliates like Ghostface Killah, RZA and Inspectah Deck on Legend of the Liquid Sword.
Most likely to stay away from swords of any kind are T.A.T.U., a pair of Russian teenagers who'll storm the States this week with 200 km/hr in the Wrong Lane and their cheery cover of the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?," while homegrown teens B2K create purposeful Pandemonium! with their new album.
Phish reunited after several members' side projects for Round Room, while a couple of posthumous LPs come down the pike from Joey Ramone (Christmas Spirit ... In My House) and Aaliyah (I Care 4 U.)
Out Tuesday, December 10:
504 Boyz - Ballers (New No Limit) Aaliyah - I Care 4 U (Universal) Ragheb Alama - Tab Leh (Mondo Melodia) Animal - 900 lb Steam (Perris) B2K - Pandemonium! (Epic) Bile - Copy Machine (Underground Inc.) Black From the Dead - Black From the Dead (Underground Inc.) Eric Burdon - He Used to Be an Animal (Sanctuary) Byrne - Slowly and Gloriously (EP, Rocket Girl) Jerry Cantrell - Degradation Trip 1 & 2 (Roadrunner) Common - The Electric Circus (MCA) Count Bass D - Dwight Spitz (High Times) Covenant - Northern Light (Metropolis) Creeper Lagoon - Remember the Future (EP, Arena Rock) Disco & Vibe - The Album (Wicked) Duke of Earl - Duke of Earl (Familia) Esham - Acid Rain Greatest Hits (Psychopathic) Fatal - Fatal (Rap-a-Lot) Gathering - Black Light District (Psy) Philip Glass - "The Hours" soundtrack (Nonesuch) GZA/Genius - Legend of the Liquid Sword (MCA) Whitney Houston - Just Whitney (Arista) Independents - Back From the Grave (Jump Up) Jett Brando - Jagged Junktion (EP, Go Kart) Kills - Black Rooster (EP, Dim Mak) Liars/Oneida - Atheists Reconsider (Split EP, Arena Rock) Phish - Round Room (Elektra) Plan B - Like a Ship Sailing (Luckyhorse) Planetary Assault Systems - Archives 2 (Peacefrog) Punishers - Beat Me (Rumbl) Queen Latifah - She's a Queen: A Collection of Hits (Motown) Joey Ramone - Christmas Spirit ... In My House (EP, Sanctuary) Snypaz - Snypaz (Rap-a-Lot) Swizz Beatz - Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (DreamWorks) T.A.T.U. - 200 km/hr in the Wrong Lane (Interscope) Throbbing Gristle - 24 Hours of Throbbing Gristle. (box set, Mute) Virtual Voodoo - Bugi-Vugi (EFA-Coline) Worthless United - I Am Nothing (EP, Now or Never) Various artists - Black on Black - Tribute to Black Flag (Initial) Various artists - Bossa Mundo 2 (Wave) Various artists - "Catch Me If You Can" soundtrack (DreamWorks) Various artists - "Drumline" soundtrack (Jive) Various artists - Fashion Week (George V) Various artists - Flipsides (Groove Attack) Various artists - Gatecrasher Residents Transmission (Gatecrasher) Various artists - Headquarters: Berlin (EFA-Caroline) Various artists - "The Hot Chick" soundtrack (Hollywood) Various artists - "La Boheme" soundtrack (DreamWorks) Various artists - "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" soundtrack (Reprise) Various artists - Making Singles, Drinking Doubles (Bloodshot) Various artists - "Pinocchio" soundtrack (Virgin) Various artists - Hidden Beach Recordings Presents: Unwrapped Vol. 2 (Epic) DVD: Tony Bennett - "Wonderful World: Live From San Francisco" (Columbia) DVD: "Drive-Thru Records" (Drive-Thru) DVD: Alanis Morissette - "Feast on Scraps" (Maverick) DVD: A Motown Christmas (Motown) Lil' Flip - The Leprechaun (Sucka Free/Columbia) Lil' Romeo - Game Time (New No Limit) S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'(Universal) Various artists - "Gangs of New York" soundtrack (Interscope) Various artists - The Source Presents: Hip Hop Hits, Vol. 6 (Def Jam) Various artists - We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones (Sony) Various artists - "Deliver Us From Eva" soundtrack (Hollywood) Fabolous - Street Dreams (Elektra) Pretty Girls Make Graves - Pretty Girls Make Graves (EP, Tiger Style) Third Eye Blind - Crystal Baller (Elektra) Blu Cantrell - Bittersweet (Arista)