Conor Oberst
"Conor Oberst" (Merge, Aug. 5)

The biggest surprise on Conor Oberst's first solo album since a cassette-only release from his teenage years might be the label that's releasing it. After a decade-plus association with Saddle Creek in his hometown of Omaha, Neb., the Bright Eyes principal inked with Merge for this self-titled affair, recorded in January and February in Tepoztlan, Mexico. Longtime collaborator Andy LeMaster assisted with the recording, which Oberst produced.

Slipknot
TBA (Roadrunner, Aug. 12)

Slipknot's fans, the Maggots, have two things to cheer about this summer: the band's first studio album in nearly four years and a main-stage slot on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem tour. The masked metal act's follow-up to "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)"—which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in June 2004—is "going to fuck with people," vocalist Corey Taylor says. "It's heavy, man." Since the release of "Vol. 3," members of Slipknot have spent time pursuing solo musical projects. But the Iowa-based nine-piece returns this summer with a new sense of musical confidence and maturity, Taylor says. Plus, the metal outfit's "evolved" costumes and masks are darker than ever.

The Jonas Brothers
TBA (Hollywood, Aug. 12)

On their hotly anticipated new album, expect "the same Jonas Brothers sound, but with just a couple more influences," says Nick Jonas, who names Elvis Costello, the Animals, the Rascals and the Beatles by way of example. Look for such tracks as "Don't Take My Heart and Put It on the Shelf," "Burning Up" and "A Little Bit Longer," the last of which Jonas wrote about his struggle with diabetes. "The lyrical content has gotten a little more in-depth as far as who we are as people and our personal lives, with our dating and all that—things we've gone through in the past year," Jonas says.

T.I.
"Paper Trail" (Grand Hustle/Atlantic, Aug. 12)

The good: T.I. may very well wind up with another hit album once "Paper Trail" hits stores. The bad: Afterward, the superstar rapper is headed to jail for a year on felony gun charges. There's a tinge of gospel on recent leak "No Matter What," while club track "What's Up, What's Happening," produced by Danja, is likely to be the first single. Also expected are "Sitting on Top of the World," "I'm Illin'," "Collect Call" and the J.R. Rotem-produced "Let My Beat Pound."

Missy Elliott
"FANomenal" (The Goldmind/Atlantic, Aug. 26)

This feast of Missy Elliott's trademark beats mixed with tinges of '70s Washington, D.C., go-go funk is led by single "Best, Best," on which she repeats the last word to every sentence throughout. The set features production by Timbaland, Souldiggaz, Danjahandz, Timbaland and Point Guard. Highlights include the Jazmin Sullivan-assisted "Like When You Play the Music," drum-heavy "Hip-Hop Don't Die" and sensual "Milk & Cookies," on which Elliott lightheartedly harmonizes about her capabilities in the bedroom. Timbaland-produced tracks "Ching-a-Ling" and "Shake Your Pom Pom" bowed in February on the "Step Up 2 the Streets" soundtrack.

Solange Knowles
"Sol-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams" (Music World Entertainment/Geffen, Aug. 26)

"Her record is totally bananas," Geffen chairman Ron Fair says of Beyoncé sibling Solange Knowles' label debut. "It's not what people would expect from her. The music is more eclectic and international. She's in her own lane." The project boasts production from Cee-Lo, Q-Tip, Mark Ronson, Raphael Saadiq and Pharrell Williams, who steered first single "I Decided." Bilal penned "Cosmic Journey," while Floetry's Marsha Ambrosius guests on "Wanna Go Back" and Lil Wayne appears on "Champagnechronicnightcap."

Luis Fonsi
TBA (Universal Music Latino, August TBD)

Fonsi has enjoyed a steadily rising career thanks to his mix of traditional Latin pop with more contemporary R&B tinges. Now, his upcoming studio album—his first since 2005's "Paso A Paso," finds him exploring his songwriter side more deeply than ever. The tunes were co-written by Fonsi with an array of others, including Claudia Brant and Amaury Gutiérrez. The album also features a duet with Italian singer Laura Pausini. The first single, the Mexican-tinged "No Me Doy Por Vencido," will head to radio in late May. Simultaneous releases are planned in North and South America as well as Spain, while a major Pepsi sponsorship will bolster the launch in Puerto Rico.

Fabolous
TBA (Def Jam, August TBD)

Although he isn't ready to get specific, Queens rapper Fabolous' as-yet-untitled album will be inspired by a film, much in the way Jay-Z's "American Gangster" was based on the movie of the same name. "I always wanted to touch on this particular movie musically because I felt some of the things in the movie related to me and to lots of other people," he says. "Plus, I always wanted to use a theme for my album. I want to take scenarios and turn them into records and vice versa." So far, the set features production from DJ Toomp, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz and Polow Da Don.

Gym Class Heroes
"The Quilt: Starring Gym Class Heroes" (Decaydence/Fueled by Ramen, August TBD)

Gym Class Heroes are planning on taking a "movie approach" to their sophomore album, according to lead vocalist Travis McCoy. "Everyone is going to be part of the cast as opposed to being featured," he says. "You won't know who is on the album just by looking at the liner notes. You'll know only if you listen and recognize the person's voice." Ne-Yo, Lil Wayne, John Oates, K-OS and Busta Rhymes are among the guests, while Cool & Dre and Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump have assisted with production. McCoy addresses his drug problem on "Live a Little," which "urges people to live in the moment, because no one is promised tomorrow."

Usher
"Here I Stand" (Jive, May 27)

After telling all on his juicy 2004 disc "Confessions," Usher is all about settling down. Here, the new husband and father embraces his maturation on cuts like the Dre and Vidal-crafted title track—"You ain't a man until you a man to your woman," he says. "This is the conversation that takes place." Alongside ballads "Moving Mountains" and "Love You Gently" ("the ultimate love-making record") are tracks on the lighter side. The Will.i.am-crafted "What's Your Name?" describes "the feeling you get when you run into a woman that makes you speak gibberish," while the Bryan-Michael Cox creation "Before I Met You" revolves around "a modern-day gigolo [who] decides to change."

Al Green
"Lay It Down" (Blue Note, May 27)

This friendly collision of new and old sensibilities is as vintage-sounding as anything Al Green released during his Hi Records heyday of the '70s, but also finds him dueting with John Legend ("Stay With Me [By the Sea]"), Corinne Bailey Rae ("Take Your Time") and Anthony Hamilton, with the Dap-Kings horn section playing behind them. The Roots' Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson produced in tandem with keyboardist James Poyser. "I've never heard anything quite like it, because I've never had anybody produce me other than Willie Mitchell," Green says. "And when you give these young kids a shot at it, it's interesting to see the art they make. It's beautiful."

ALSO IN MAY

The Futureheads, "This Is Not the World" (Nul Records)
Guillemots, "Falling out of Reach" (Polydor)
Cyndi Lauper, "Bring Ya to the Brink" (Epic)
Pigeon Detectives, "Emergency" (Dance to the Radio)
Beth Rowley, "Little Dreamer" (Blue Thumb/Universal)
Beto Terrazas, "Conquistando Caminos" (Sony BMG Norte)
Sandi Thom, "The Pink & the Lily" (RCA)
Various Artists, "Sex and the City" soundtrack (New Line)
Wisin & Yandel, "Los Extraterrestres: Otra Dimension" (WY/Machete)

David Banner
"The Greatest Story Ever Told" (SRC/Universal, June 3)

"This time I'm not going to put the record out until I get the type of promotion I feel I deserve," David Banner says of "The Greatest Story Ever Told," originally due last fall. "If the mix ain't right, I'm sending it back a thousand times, even if I have to pay for it." The outspoken rapper is already feeling the love. After a lukewarm response to first single "9mm" (aka "Speaker") last year, "Get Like Me"—which features Chris Brown, Yung Joc and Jim Jones—is scaling the charts. Other guests on the album include Akon, UGK, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Chamillionaire and Carl Thomas.

Disturbed
"Indestructible" (Warner Bros., June 3)

Proving Disturbed's brand of nü-metal can still get fans excited after a three-year break between studio albums, "Inside the Fire," the first single from "Indestructible," has already reached No. 3 on Mainstream Rock and No. 10 on Modern Rock. Frontman David Draiman drew on personal travails—including a motorcycle accident, a garage fire that destroyed his truck and motorcycle, and "a number of bad relationships"—to inspire himself, and his bandmates followed suit. Drummer Mikey Wengren "is playing faster and more furiously than ever, with more polysyncopation," Draiman says, while guitarist Danny Donegan "is soloing even more frequently, and the riffs are just brutal and honest and dark."

Fleet Foxes
"Fleet Foxes" (Sub Pop, June 3)

Hipster hearts are abuzz over the self-titled debut from this Seattle quintet, which won over the South by Southwest faithful this spring with its Crosby, Stills & Nash-worthy vocal harmonies. (The band describes its own sound as "baroque harmonic pop jams.") On the heels of April's "Sun Giant" EP, the full-length renders 22-year-old frontman Robin Pecknold's songs onto even more widescreen canvases, sympathetically produced by Pacific Northwest vet Phil Ek. Vintage organ and surfy guitar lines dance on the two-songs-in-one "Ragged Wood," while fingerpicked acoustic leads support gorgeous group singing on "Quiet Houses."

Gavin Rossdale
"Wanderlust" (Interscope, June 3)

After his post-Bush band Institute flamed out following a lone album, Gavin Rossdale regrouped for a solo set, which is led by the single "Love Remains the Same." Elsewhere, his ever-so-famous wife, Gwen Stefani, lends vocals to the track "Some Days." The Bob Rock-produced album finds Rossdale collaborating with drummer Josh Freese, guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Paul Bushnell and keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac.

Emmylou Harris
"All I Intended to Be" (Nonesuch, June 10)

For the first time in 25 years, this 12-time Grammy Award winner and Billboard Century Award recipient recorded with producer Brian Ahern, the man who handled her first 11 albums. The new set's title comes from a line in "Old Five and Dimers Like Me," a duet with John Starling. While Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Buddy Miller contribute vocals, the set includes songs from Tracy Chapman, Patti Griffin, Merle Haggard and Billy Joe Shaver.

Lil Wayne
"Tha Carter III" (Cash Money/Universal, June 10)

Plagued with leaks, delays and Lil Wayne's arrest on drug possession charges, "Tha Carter III" is now penciled in for June 10. Luckily, the set has already spawned the rapper's first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 in the form of "Lollipop." Wayne told Billboard in February that Hurricane Chris, Corey Gunz, Tyga, Jibbs, Shanell, Kidd Kidd, Mack Maine and Lil Mama have recorded features for the album, and Kanye West has also joined the roster of contributors. "It's one of those albums people are really waiting on, so I made it so that whatever is on it will stick with you forever," Wayne says. "I'm taking my time with it. And I'm giving artists I respect and people I want to do songs with—not songs the label fixed—an opportunity to collaborate."

My Morning Jacket
"Evil Urges" (ATO, June 10)

This Kentucky quintet is already among the most praised live acts in the land, but the music on its fifth studio album should take the band to an entirely new level. After sequestering itself in a Colorado cabin to hone the tracks, My Morning Jacket then decamped to New York last fall to record with co-producer Joe Chiccarelli. More adventurous than anything that has come before, the songs explore falsetto singing ("Evil Urges"), soft rock ("Thank You Too"), disco beats (first single "Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2") and gritty funk ("Highly Suspicious"), without skimping on the two-guitar jams ("Aluminum Park," "Remnants") and mellow balladry ("Librarian") of past releases. "We've never wanted to be one kind of band," frontman Jim James says. "We just enjoy celebrating music—making it loud and making it sad."

Alanis Morissette
"Flavors of Entanglement" (Warner Bros., June 10)

"The baby is almost out," Alanis Morissette says about her first album of original work in four years, which features production by Frou Frou's Guy Sigsworth. "This is a bi-track journey for me—one is the unraveling of my personal life to the point where I hit rock bottom—but then the phoenix rises," she says. "In the other track, I speak about the personal being the political. Rather than talk about war out there, I'd rather talk about war in here, because it's the only thing I have control over." The ramp-up to the release has a decidedly international flavor: "Underneath" will be preloaded onto Motorola cell phones in Brazil, and Morissette starts a three-month tour of Europe in June, followed by U.S. dates in the fall.

Marco Antonio Solís
"Una Noche en Madrid" (Fonovisa, June 10)

Marco Antonio Solís has transcended his popularity in his native Mexico to become a mega star in the United States (with four No. 1s on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart) and virtually all of Latin America. Now, he has his sights set on Spain. "Una Noche en Madrid," a live album recorded during an Oct. 12, 2007, performance in Madrid, will be the first Solís album released in Spain since 2001. The set includes new versions of Solís classics as well as a duet with Spanish singer Pasión Vega on "Como Tu Mujer."

Montgomery Gentry
"Back When I Knew It All" (Columbia Nashville, June 10)

Looking to shake things up, Montgomery Gentry, which has scored 12 top 10 singles (including three No. 1s) and sold 4.3 million albums after nine years on the country scene, according to Nielsen SoundScan, decided to record its new set in Memphis' Ardent studio. The move worked. "The ambience of the studio was really cool," Troy Gentry says of the place where Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King have recorded. The title track and first single is the duo's fastest-climbing song and is No. 11 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. The set includes "I Pick My Parties" featuring Toby Keith, with whom the duo will tour this summer.

Busta Rhymes
"Blessed" (Interscope, June 17)

With numerous legal entanglements now behind him, Busta Rhymes says he feels "blessed" to be a free man, hence the title of his eighth studio album. The MC has already released several singles, including "Where's My Fucking Money," featured on the "Grand Theft Auto IV" soundtrack, and "We Made It," a collaboration with rock outfit Linkin Park. Other contributors include Cool & Dre, Pharrell Williams and DJ Scratch. In addition, Rhymes released a clip for track "Don't Touch Me" that recalls his comical videos of the '90s.

Wolf Parade
"At Mount Zoomer" (Sub Pop, June 17)

After dabbling in myriad side projects, the members of Wolf Parade finally reconvened last summer to work on the follow-up to 2005's breakout "Apologies to the Queen Mary." "I think it's more pointed," group member Spencer Krug says. "We wanted to make a record that was done all at once—so as much as possible, we did that." The result: nine songs borne out of lengthy improv sessions, yet surprisingly straightforward in sound. "Bang Your Drum" and "Call It a Ritual" pair Krug's quivering, dissonant voice with low-mannered guitar and drum rhythms. It almost sounds like Wolf Parade has mellowed a bit until the closing title track, a nine-minute epic that raises its creative bar to new heights.

Mötley Crüe
"Saints of Los Angeles" (Mötley Records, June 24)

"I've got to tell you, I've been writing songs for a long time, and there's something magical on this record," Nikki Sixx says of Mötley Crüe's first album with its original members since 1997's "Generation Swine." "This is one of those albums that I just feel it in my stomach that something's happening with the band. There's a newfound energy in the songs. It's just a rebirth of that really dirty rock'n'roll side of Mötley Crüe." The title track was first made available through videogame "Rock Band," and is gaining steam at radio. The act leads the bill for its own Crüe Fest this summer, beginning July 1 in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Ne-Yo
"Year of the Gentleman" (Def Jam, June 24)

Meeting Ne-Yo's stated goal to move away from the type of R&B that quickly made him a star, his third album in as many years is exemplified by the single "Closer," a Stargate-produced club track with pulsing strobe-light synths and a high-energy house beat that calls to mind Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music." "So You Can Cry" sports a mellow, easy-listening vibe, with Ne-Yo making a priceless rhyme of "pity party" and "calamari." Collaborators on the set also include members of Ne-Yo's Atlanta-based Compound Entertainment crew (the HeavyWeights, Shay Taylor, Chuck Harmony), as well as Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and J.R. Rotem. "My prayer is that my fans know me well enough to know that I'm an artist in the truest form, [and] I cannot do the same thing over and over again," Ne-Yo says.

Three 6 Mafia
"Last 2 Walk" (Hypnotize Minds/Columbia, June 24)

If it seems like years have gone by since Three 6 Mafia won the best original song Academy Award for "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" in 2006, that's because, well, years have gone by. "Our lives are like a circus," principal member Juicy J says. "You wouldn't believe the crap we go through every day." But after numerous delays, the rap troupe's new album is finally on target for release. Among the guests on "Last 2 Walk" are Akon on "That's Right," Good Charlotte on "My Own Way," Unk on the single "I'd Rather" and Juicy J's brother Project Pat on "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)."

Weezer
"Weezer" (DGC/Interscope, June 24)

Weezer is literally all over the place on its third self-titled album, with all four members taking a turn behind the mic. The music is just as hard to pin down, from the six-minute "Greatest Man" (which sutures a sweet piano melody to thick power chords and fake crowd noise), "Heart Songs" (which unironically salutes Nirvana's "Nevermind" for inspiring frontman Rivers Cuomo to start his own band), the proto-Red Hot Chili Peppers funk of "Dreamin' " and the swaggering, riffy "Automatic," sung by drummer Pat Wilson. "It definitely feels like there's a lot more of our energy that over the years has been kind of pent up and now has been released and is flowing freely between the four of us," Cuomo says. The single "Pork and Beans" is No. 1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart this week.

Shinedown
"The Sound of Madness" (Atlantic, June 24)

Brent Smith wasn't going to let anything deter him from making Shinedown's third album—not a sharp sales decline between 2003's "Leave a Whisper" and 2005's "Us and Them," or the loss of bandmates Jasin Todd and Brad Stewart. "This is a record that needed to be made," Smith says. He and drummer Barry Kerch enlisted Rob Cavallo to produce the set, and with Cavallo's encouragement Smith wrote nearly 60 songs, of which 15 were recorded. Among them are his first political song—first single "Devour," which is "about George W. Bush and the end of his presidency"—and Smith's first straight-up love song, "If You Only Knew." "We wanted it loud and wanted it big and heavy and grandiose," Smith says.

Nas
"N*gger" (Def Jam, July 1)

Following Don Imus' off-color remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team last year, Nas announced that he would tackle the controversy head on by titling his ninth album "N*gger." The set was originally slated for late 2007 but never hit shelves, although Nas and wife Kelis kept up the publicity campaign by heading backstage at the Grammy Awards to talk about the issue. Now the album is tentatively slated for July 1 and the first track, the Salaam Remi-produced "Be a N*gger Too," hit the Internet April 20.

Los Lonely Boys
"Forgiven" (Epic, July 1)

After making its prior albums with producer John Porter at Willie Nelson's Pedernales studio, this Texas trio switched to a soundstage in Austin in January and February, with Steve Jordan behind the board. "If I could have a choice, this is the way I'd record the rest of my life," says bassist JoJo Garza, who, with brothers Henry (guitar) and Ringo (drums) worked with Jordan to "try and capture the sound of a three-piece band," welcoming just a couple of guests in Dr. John and Del Castillo guitarist Mark Del Castillo. "Forgiven" will be preceded by the single "Staying With Me"; the album includes a cover of the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm a Man."

RZA/Bobby Digital
"Digi Snacks" (Koch, July 1)

Wu-Tang Clan founding member RZA will reinvent himself as Bobby Digital for the third time this summer. The album's first single is "You Can't Stop Me Now," featuring Wu member Inspectah Deck, and addresses RZA's own life struggles. "This album is simply fun hip-hop," RZA says of the set. "It's a perfect blend of reality, sci-fi and martial arts." Other tracks include the socially driven "Drama," the sensual "Good Night Kiss" and "Straight Off the Block," produced by David Banner, which is in contention to be the second single. Other producers on the set include King Tech and RZA himself.

Girlicious
"Girlicious" (Geffen, July 1)

In the grand tradition of the Pussycat Dolls comes Girlicious, a group chosen via a reality show on the CW. Following the April 23 finale, the female quartet went on a media blitz in support of first single "Like Me," which was produced by Jazze Pha. Sexual energy practically drips from album track "Stupid Shit," executive-produced by Geffen head Ron Fair.

The Game
"L.A.X." (Geffen, July 8)

In 2008, the Game has already been sentenced to 60 days in jail for a conviction stemming from a weapons charge, served less than one week and rehashed his storied rivalry with 50 Cent. Now, with the 50-led G-Unit's "T.O.S." and the Game's "L.A.X." originally slated for June 24, both MCs claimed to have delayed the other's album. Regardless of what truly caused the setback, the Game recently released the single "Game's Pain," featuring Keyshia Cole, and is working with producers Cool & Dre, Trey Beatz, Kanye West and Just Blaze.

Randy Travis
"Around the Bend" (Warner Bros., July 15)

After recording a series of acclaimed Christian and gospel releases that earned him three Grammy Awards, six Gospel Music Assn. Awards and an Academy of Country Music nod, Randy Travis is back on the country scene. "Around the Bend" is his first straight-ahead country set in eight years, and it's a welcome return for the man who first hit the Billboard country singles chart in 1985 with "On the Other Hand." The new collection finds the traditionalist putting his own stamp on Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," while first single "Faith in You" is a string-laden, but simple love ballad. In June, Travis will perform for the first time in 10 years at the Country Music Assn. Music Festival in Nashville.

John Mellencamp
"Life, Death, Love and Freedom" (Hear Music, July 15)

On his debut album for Starbucks' Hear Music imprint, John Mellencamp pulls no punches about the "darkness" he sees all around him, including a controversial song ("Jena") inspired by the racial issues in the titular Louisiana town. The folk-leaning material was produced by T-Bone Burnett at Mellencamp's longtime home studio outside Bloomington, Ind., with upright bass and acoustic guitar dominating the mix on such tunes as "A Ride Back Home (Hey Jesus)," "Young Without Lovers," "If I Die Sudden" and "Troubled Land." "He is a powerful musician, he rocks like crazy, and he's a really great singer," Burnett says.

The Hold Steady
"Stay Positive" (Vagrant Records, July 15)

The notion of "aging gracefully" in rock'n'roll could be described as the overarching factor that Brooklyn's Hold Steady wrestle with throughout "Stay Positive," the group's fourth album in the last five years. "I was influenced a lot about getting old," Craig Finn says. "Stay Positive" sees the band members challenging themselves: "Lord, I'm Discouraged" is a bluesy ballad that conjures a more rural image of American life, and "One for the Cutters" should surprise fans. Those adverse to change, however, shouldn't worry: Lead single "Sequestered in Memphis" is chock-full of Hold Steady hooks.

CSS
"Donkey" (Sub Pop, July 22)

This Brazilian electro/rock outfit scored a left-field hit last year when its song "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex" showed up in an iPod ad, after parent album "Cansei de Ser Sexy" had already been out for a year. On its sophomore set, the group again trades in sexy dance grooves (the Gwen Stefani-ish "Reggae All Night," retro synth-fest "Left Behind"), chugging indie rock ("Give Up," "Rat Is Dead [Rage]") and uptempo pop maneuvers ("How I Became Paranoid," the Bangles-worthy "Move"), all of which should sound great blaring out of hipster stereos this summer.

Common
"Invincible Summer" (Geffen, July TBD)

Chicago rapper Common may be known for his stimulating lyrics, but for "Invincible Summer," due this summer via Universal, he shamelessly admits that "barbecues and strippers" were some of his main inspirations. "This album isn't super thought-provoking . . . it's just on some fun shit," Common says of his eighth album. He teamed with Pharrell and Mr. DJ (OutKast), and concocted a hip-hop/techno/dance sound heavy with kazoos and double-speed drum patterns. Tracks like the Cee-Lo-assisted "Make My Day," stripper-inspired "Sex Is Sugar" and first single "Universal Mind Control," which will be serviced to radio in May, are all included. Santogold is set to appear on a track titled "Runaway," while Jeff B, Star Trak's Chester French and Musina make guest appearances as well.

Staind
"The Illusion of Progress" (Atlantic, July TBD)

"It's a departure from the last record," Staind frontman Aaron Lewis says. The group hasn't even come up with titles for the songs, according to Lewis, but "there's a lot more effect-y experimentation and a lot more textures with vintage instruments and vintage amps." The band has been recording at the studio that Lewis keeps in his barn with producer Johnny K. And while Staind previously swore to rock even harder this time out, Lewis says it's aware of pressure for another ballad-style track along the lines of such hits as "Outside" and "It's Been Awhile." "That's what the record label wants," he says. "You're foolish not to [be aware] of that."