Fall
entertainment previews: Pop music

September

Beyonce, B'day (Columbia) Why settle for balloons and cake when you can celebrate turning 25 by dropping a new album instead? The Dreamgirls star wrote, arranged, and coproduced the whole shebang, assisted by the Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, and others. (Sept. 5)

Justin Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive) The hotly touted follow-up to Justified spans the gamut of hip-hop and polished pop-soul flavas; Timbaland and Three 6 Mafia guest, but Justin still slips into that to-die-for falsetto too. (Sept. 12)

Brazilian Girls, Talk to La Bomb (Verve Forecast) Second set from New York's kookiest multiculti export since Deee-Lite features lyrics in five languages. Ric Ocasek, formerly of the Cars, oversaw recording of the sensuous "Last Call." (Sept. 12)

John Mayer, Continuum (Columbia) He can hang with Common and Kanye as comfortably as B.B. King and Clapton, so no surprise that the latest from this cutie-pie guitar wunderkind fuses his Grammy Award-winning pop chops with legit blues influences. (Sept. 12)

Citizen Cope, Every Waking Moment (RCA) After blindsiding the biz with the 2004 sleeper hit The Clarence Greenwood Recordings, Citizen Cope returns with 11 tracks of distinctive folk-rock-hip-hop fusion. Want more? Official Web site preorders come autographed, with a bonus EP. (Sept. 12)

Indigo Girls, Despite Our Differences(Hollywood) Different record label, same invigorating mix of personal and political sentiments. New pal Pink pops up on "Rock and Roll Heaven's Gate"; rising star Brandi Carlile guests too. (Sept. 19)

Fergie, The Duchess (will.i.am/Interscope) Former Kids Incorporated star Stacy Ferguson and her lovely lady lumps grace the first release for Black Eyed Peas cohort will.i.am's new vanity imprint. (Sept. 19)

Scissor Sisters (pictured), Ta-Dah(Universal Motown) A song about cross-dressing pirates? Another featuring Elton John? No, it's not Johnny Depp's next film...it's the sophomore full-length from glitzy, queer-as-fuck disco-glam quintet Scissor Sisters. Voila! (Sept. 26)

Janet Jackson, 20 Y.O. (Virgin) Two decades after Control, the slimmed-down Miss Jackson delivers dance tracks ("So Excited," featuring Khia) and trademark slow jams, with production by boyfriend Jermaine Dupri and longtime stalwarts Jam and Lewis. (Sept. 26)

October

Lady Sovereign, Public Warning (Def Jam) The queen of the U.K. "grime" scene, this 5-foot-1 white London rapper finally drops her full-length debut. Her eviscerating, lickety-split lyrics, oft compared to Eminem, convinced Def Jam CEO Jay-Z to sign her personally. (Oct. 3)

The Decemberists, The Crane Wife (Capitol) Longtime indie faves bring their theatrical world of chimney sweeps, opium dens, and sporting fiascos to the mainstream. Their literary bent remains intact, however: The title was inspired by an ancient Japanese folk tale. (Oct. 3)

Evanescence, The Open Door (Wind-up) Raven-haired rock drama queen Amy Lee and new guitarist and cowriter Terry Balsamo temper darkness, raw emotion, and scarier lyrical fare with graceful embellishment from a full choir and string section. (Oct. 3)

The Killers, Sam's Town (Island) The Las Vegas foursome's successor to hit debut Hot Fuss embraces an arena-size sound a la U2 while downplaying synthesizers and obvious pop touches. The title cut features accordion and toy piano. Seriously. (Oct. 3)

Deftones, Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick) There was allegedly tons of Fleetwood Mac-style behind-the-scenes drama prior to completion of the fifth disc from this moody metal quintet, but early reports indicate it's their most cohesive album yet. (Oct. 10)

Snoop Dogg, Blue Carpet Treatment (DoggyStyle/Geffen) Snoop picked through 300 songs for his new one, with A-list collaborators including Brandy, Cypress Hill's B-Real, and possibly Stevie Wonder, who dropped by to cut a cover of his classic "Have a Talk With God." (Oct. 17)

Sarah McLachlan, Wintersong (J) The Lilith Fair founder offers up a contemplative seasonal set, including renditions of Joni Mitchell's melancholy "River" and John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)," plus some more traditional holiday selections. (Oct. 17)

OTHER TIDBITS: American Idol vets Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken, and Taylor Hicks all have new CDs on tap for fall... In September: Elton John rejoins lyricist Bernie Taupin for The Captain and the Kid, a sequel to the 1975 masterpiece Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy; Tori Amos and R.E.M. prep multidisc retrospectives; and Tony Bennett releases his Duets, with Dixie Chicks, George Michael, and Barbra Streisand... In October: Crooner-come-lately Rod Stewart goes back to his roots with Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time; Best New Artist Grammy-winning piano man John Legend returns with Once Again, and eyeliner-heavy pop-punks My Chemical Romance deliver the fruits of their work with Green Day producer Rob Cavallo.

--Kurt B. Reighley