Jessica Simpson (pic) has joined Michelle Branch, Jewel, Bob Seger and Bon Jovi in the ranks of pop and rock artists that have tacked to the country side for their latest projects. Leading with the Top 3 iTunes Country single "Come On Over" (complete with twangin' steel guitar), Simpson's forthcoming Nashville-centered album, titled "Do You Know," arrives in stores September 9. Jessica worked with famed Nashville producers John Shanks and Brett James and co-wrote all but 4 songs on the album, one written for her by her all time country inspiration, Dolly Parton.


Outkast's Big Boi is putting the final touches on his solo project "Sir Luscious Left Foot", tentatively scheduled for a November 4 street. Leaked track "Royal Flush", featuring Raekwon and Andre 3000, has gotten some online and radio attention but first real single "Sumthin's Gotta Give" will undoubtedly have more impact when it debuts at radio in early August.

Ciara's upcoming "Fantasy Ride" has been pushed back from September to November release with the first single still to be determined. In a break from a traditional CD release, Ciara plans on releasing "Fantasy" as a packaged bundle of three different "themed" discs, each with five or six tracks.

Popular Celtic/styled harpist/singer Loreena McKennitt has packaged her first three albums in a specially-priced box set - "The Journey Begin" - for an September 16 release. The collection also includes a bonus six song disc of live recordings and rarities.

Hard rocking Pennsylvania band Breaking Benjamin are back in the studio with producer David Bendeth working on their fourth album scheduled for an October 28th release. Their last two album, including 2006's "Phobia", have both surpassed one million units in sales.

American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler is back with her second album of country tunes with a new, as-yet-untitled album arriving September 30. First single "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" is at radio now. Her 2006 debut album "Small Town Girl" has quietly sold 800,000 copies.

Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman (pic) will release his second album September 30: "The Fabled City." The Rage guitarist's highly political first solo effort "On Man Revolution" was released last year. Brendan O'Brien has again taken production duties.

Country star Brad Paisley steps away from microphone for the release of his pet project "Play", a primarily instrumental guitar album arriving November 4. "It will surprise people," he says of the new project. "It's not all country. We do everything from jazz guitar to one that's very heavy metal." Guests on "Play" include the late Buck Owens, B.B. King and Vince Gill.

Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders will dole out one track per week leading up to the full release of their new album "Break Up the Concrete" on September 23. Hynde worked with primarily a new band for the project including famed drummer Jim Keltner and guitarists James Walbourne and Eric Heywood. "Concrete" is the pioneering rockers' first studio recording since 2002's "Loose Screw." First track "Boots of Chinese Plastic" is available at their myspace page here.

American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler is back with her second album of country tunes with a new, as-yet-untitled album arriving September 30. First single "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" is at radio now. Her 2006 debut album "Small Town Girl" has quietly sold 800,000 copies.

Despite earlier rumblings, there won't be a new studio album from The Police ...and there won't be an "unplugged" release either. But for the 2.5 million fans around the world who went to see the trio on their "farewell" 30th anniversary tour over the past year the band is leaving you something to remember them by. Coming in time for the holidays will be a live CD/DVD package that chronicles the band's tour with a full live concert recorded last December in Buenes Aires, Argentina. Included on the DVD will be a "behind the scenes" documentary "Better Than Therapy" directed by drummer Stewart Copeland's son Jordan.

Rachael Yamagata will finally see the release of her long-awaited sophomore album on October 7 via a new label deal with Warner Brothers. The oddly titled "A Record In Two Parts...Elephants and Teeth Sinking Into Heart" will indeed offer two differing styles and is produced by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley).

Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman (pic) will release his second album September 30: "The Fabled City." The Rage guitarist's highly political first solo effort "On Man Revolution" was released last year. Brendan O'Brien has again taken production duties.

Noted Nashville singer/songwriter Gretchen Peters has finished a new holiday music album "Northern Lights" for releases this fall.

Former American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee is working on her second solo album with famed producer David Foster (Josh Grobin, Celine Dion). Moving away from the beat-driven pop of her debut, McPhee and Foster are said to be focusing on heavily orchestrated ballads. Having split with her label RCA, the new project has yet to find a home but is slated for a Christmas release.

Meanwhile David Foster is also helming the debut of 16-year-old Filipino singing sensation Charice Pempengco. Check out the jaw-dropping performance of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" from the Oprah Winfrey show here. No release or label info yet - stay tuned. Also look for a special David Foster "Tribute" CD and DVD coming for holiday release. A number of Foster's biggest producing names including Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble and Josh Groban join Foster on the program.

Veteran best-selling blues-rock power trio ZZ Top are looking to get back into the limelight with a new label deal and a 25th anniversary celebration of their ten million-selling "Eliminator" album. Newly signed by the equally hirsute Rick Rubin to his Columbia/American imprint, the bearded band are looking to move back to a more authentic, stripped down blues style from their earlier albums. Manager Carl Stubner tells BILLBOARD: "We thought this was a great brand that was kind of dusty. My goal was to polish it and do certain things they hadn't done before." Rubin as producer has been successful in refocusing key artists such as Neil Diamond and the late Johnny Cash towards a sparser, introspective style that has connected with critics. The special 2-disc "Eliminator" package from Rhino arrives August 26 with seven bonus CD tracks (including five live versions) as well as a second DVD disc with four videos and four live performances.

An expanded two-disc set of Daughtry's self-titled debut album will arrive September 9 with bonus tracks and a DVD. Included DVD are eight music videos and behind the scenes footage while the additional four audio tracks will feature a cover of Foreigner's hit "Feels Like the First Time," acoustic versions of "Home" and "What About Now" and a live version of "It's Not Over." The American Idol finalist's album has delivered five Top 10 hits and sold more than four million copies in the U.S. since its release in November 2006. It continues to move nearly 10k units weekly. A new album is scheduled for spring 2009.

Michelle Branch, singer/songwriter and former member of the successful country duo The Wreckers, is wrapping up her fourth solo album "Everything Comes and Goes" for release later this year. The album is "more singer-songwriter than, I would say, country, but I think the term 'country' is all relative now," Branch reveals to BILLBOARD. "I think this is a natural step. It really feels like the right place to be." Dwight Yoakum guests on the new song "The Long Goodbye", a track that indicates Branch's comfort in a more Nashville setting. New project's title reflects what she calls her "breakup album" as she parts ways with both her management company and her Wreckers mate Jessica Harp. Branch has also contributed a new pop song "Together" to the August 5 soundtrack to the upcoming film "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2".

A live album from Fiona Apple is on the schedule for tentative late fall release. Last year the eccentric singer toured (and played with) the acclaimed bluegrass trio Nickel Creek...details on the live disc to come.

Blue-eyed soul crooner Robin Thicke's forthcoming third album "Something Else" has been pushed back to a September 30 release with first single, the slick, heavily orchestrated retro-70's "Magic", making waves at pop and urban adult radio now. Thicke has also made recent appearances on recent releases from Ashanti ("Things You Make Me Do") and Lil Wayne ("Tie My Hands").

Acclaimed Nashville sibling rockers Kings of Leon return with their fourth album "Only By the Night" on September 23. Frontman Caleb Followill, writing songs while on the mend for a broken arm, says "I don't know if it was the pills or what, but the melodies were so much stronger than anything I've ever done - it's just really beautiful songs."

Both Augustana and Sara Bareilles will release live DVD's this fall: tentatively scheduled for October 14 drops. An expanded 2-disc CD/DVD version of Bareille's hit "Little Voice" album will arrive in early 2009.

Two new interesting holiday music albums are on the schedule for the fall: an as-yet-untitled album from Los Lonely Boys and a various artists collection taken from the noted singer/songwriters at The Hotel Cafe. Both releases are tentatively set for an October 14 street.

Missy Elliott's new album "Block Party" has been pushed back yet again, this time to a November 25 street date. Guests on the new project include Timbaland, Ciara and T-Pain. Newest single "Ching-A-Ling" leads at radio.

Dynamic pop/funk singer Nikka Costa is back her fourth album "Pebble to a Pearl", a gritty and sweaty retro-funk/rock workout coming on October 21. New project was recorded live in the studio on analog equipment by producer Justin Stanley (Jamie Lidell, Beck). Listen to "Stuck to You" and the title track here.

Oklahoma "dude rock" band Hinder will follow up their 3+ million selling 2005 album "Extreme Behavior" with new project "Take It to the Limit" set for November 4. The band's massive hit single "Lips of an Angel" crossed rock and pop formats and propelled "Extreme Behavior" to more than 3 million albums sold.

The Dave Matthews Band continue work on their forthcoming album with the release date now being pushed from summer to late fall. "It literally was a collaborative effort from beginning to end," violinist Boyd Tinsley tells Billboard. "Every song was written by everybody at the same time -- we've never really done that before."

Perennial Beach Boy Brian Wilson returns to his original label home - Capitol Records - for the release of his upcoming solo album "Lucky Old Sun," due September 2. An elaborate conceptual album based on his boyhood years if Southern California, "Sun" features four spoken word pieces from frequent Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks intermingled with Wilson's trademark harmony-rich pop epics. New songs include "Oxygen" and "Midnight's Another Day," a song one smitten critic has described as a "bonafide Brian Wilson classic."

Rap/Pop band Gym Class Heroes follow up their breakthrough 500k-selling album "As Cruel As School Children" with the new "The Quilt" due September 9. Guests include Ne-Yo, Lil Wayne, John Oates and Busta Rhymes.

Busy, quirky NY songstress Nellie McKay will release her fourth studio album this fall. The as-yet-untitled disc and follow-up to last September's "Obligatory Villagers" will be, she says, "kick ass." McKay is also working on the score to a new Broadway musical version of the 1999 Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick film "Election."

After a pair of gospel-directed solo albums, Destiny's Child
Michelle Williams takes a turn to mainstream R+B/pop this summer with the aptly titled "Unexpected" arriving in October 7. "Stop This Car," which leaked a few months ago (and can be heard on her myspace page here) has now been succeeded by "We Break The Dawn." Check it out here.

Dresden Dolls vocalist keyboardist Amanda Palmer has wrapped up her solo debut "Who Killed Amanda Palmer" with producer and collaborator Ben Folds in Nashville for a September 16 street. "A lot of the songs are piano ballads that never found a home on a Dolls record," she observes. "because I hadn't wanted to overload the record with slow material. But there's a really intense, exciting energy to the tracks at the same time. It definitely won't drag."

Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor will team again with ex-Bad Company/Free singer Paul Rodgers for a European tour as well as a new album scheduled for a October 14 street. All three collaborated on material for the first time on tracks such as "C-lebrity" and "Say It Isn't So."

Toni Childs, described by the NY TIMES as "one of the most promising among a new generation of composers and performers," releases her fourth and long-overdue "comeback" album "Keep the Faith" early next year from 429 Records. Last album "The Woman's Boat" was issued in 1994. New album is said to re-team Childs with David Ricketts (of David and David), her partner on her acclaimed debut album "Union" in 1988.

Paul McCartney is currently keeping busy in the studio with noted dance music producer Youth, working on tracks for a new album. McCartney's spokesman says the former Beatle "began recording last week, but he has been writing for a while. It should be ready by the summer," according to GIGWISE..

Ex-Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland says that the summer reunion dates for STP could lead to another studio album from the band - and their first since the 2001 release "Shangri-La-Dee-Da." "We always felt like we had enough beauty and enough finesse in our music while we were together that could carry us into a long career. So for us to make a record at an older age doesn't seem like a stretch."

The Deftones have completed their sixth studio album - "Eros" - due by the end of the year. The new disc is said to be "more atmospheric than the nods in that direction the band gave on their last record, 'Saturday Night Wrist'."

Irish singer/songwriter Gemma Hayes has completed her third album "The Hollow of Morning" with a U.S. release date set for September 30. Hayes' heralded debut album "Night On My Side" was shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2003. Listen to selected new songs here.

Imogen Heap continues studio work on her forthcoming third solo album - and follow-up to her breakthrough disc "Speak For Yourself." According to a recent video blog, she hopes to have the album wrapped by fall for a late 2008 release. New song "Not Now But Soon" written for the TV show "Heroes" is now posted here.