SUMMER RELEASES

Lots of hot shit coming out from now til the end of August. Especially hip-hop. New joints from my two favorite rap outfits, Outkast and The Roots. I'm a bit nervous about Idlewild. Kast is the most consistent group in the game, and every album of theirs so far has been a huge creative leap from what came before. But the first three singles, "The Mighty 'O'," "Idlewild Blues," and "Morris Brown," all sound to me like good-not-great outtakes from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. On the contrary, Game Theory has me hyped. Everyone's saying that this is going to be a very dark record, influenced by current events like the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina. I can't wait to hear Black Thought stretch out into more substantial lyrical territory, like he did on Phrenology's standout "Water."

So those are my two biggies in terms of upcoming rap releases. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Pharrell's first solo LP is about to hit. Then there's Jay Dee's posthumous The Shining, which includes collaborations with Pharoahe Monch, Busta, Common, D'Angelo, Dwele, and many more. Whoa! There's also Madlib's brother Oh-No's second album, which features MCs like Posdnous, Buckshot, AG, Wise Intelligent, Murs, and Vast Aire. The sophomore solo effort from Masta Killa, called Made in Brooklyn, also features a wealth of talented guests, including the whole Wu-Tang, MF Doom, and some production from Pete Rock. The first Masta Killa album No Said Date was surprisingly strong, especially given the mixed quality of recent discs by Wu members (who aren't named Ghost) and affiliates. And I can only hope that Method Man finally lives up to his potential with his upcoming 4:21. I'm not holding my breath, but this poppy lead single w/Lauryn on the hook isn't half bad.

Outside of hip-hop, I'm amped for some reggae releases, especially Cham's Ghetto Story, Tanya Stephens' Rebelution, and The Easy Star All-Stars' Radiodread, a take on Radiohead's OK Computer. Also new Horace Andy and new Beenie Man and Bounty Killer.

In terms of R&B and pop, there's new stuff coming out from Kelis, Lyfe Jennings, Jody Watley, Prince's protege Tamar, Stones Throw chanteuse Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Christina Aguilera (don't mock, half of the album is produced by Primo!).

On the world music front, new Ali Farke Toure (blues guitarist from Mali) and a compilation from the modern Brazilian artist Lenine.

Finally, let's turn to rock. New Mars Volta. And I'm curious to hear the new Scritti Polliti. And last but not least, a new album by a little artist named Robert Zimmerman . . .

Ouch, my wallet's going to be hurtin'!