COUNTRY
LOCASH COWBOYS
“LoCash Cowboys”
Producers: Shannon Houchins, Noah Gordon
Average Joes Entertainment
Release Date: June 18
LoCash Cowboys deliver a richly satisfying debut filled with the kind of raucous country anthems that are currently all the rage at the format. The late George Jones appears on the feisty “Independent Trucker,” while the duo slows it down on touching ballad “Best Seat in the House.” -Deborah Evans Price
ROCK
QUEENSRYCHE
“Queensryche”
Producer: James “Jimbo” Barton
Century Media Records
Release Date: June 25
Queensryche endured guitarist Chris DeGarmo’s 1997 departure and this album proves the group will also survive singer Geoff Tate’s 2012 dismissal. The set nods to classic Queensryche catalog on tracks like “Where Dreams Go to Die” and “A World Without,” while embracing a modern, metal-leaning style (“Spore,” “Vindication”). -Christa Titus
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ROCK
HANSON
“Anthem”
Producer: Hanson
3CG Records
Release Date: June 18
On “Anthem,” Hanson melds pop hooks with rock tones, employing rollicking guitar riffs and jangling beats on brightly upbeat tracks like “Fired Up” and “Get the Girl Back.” It’s an amiable, straightforward collection of songs, but the brothers have the most success with “Already Home,” where emotion adds some needed edge. -Emily Zelmer
HIP-HOP
Mac Miller
“Watching Movies With the Sound Off”
Producers: various
Rostrum Records
Release Date: June 18
Miller’s second studio album brings a new level of maturity. There’s self-actualization in the face of fame (“The Star Room”), psychotropic thoughts (“Red Dot Music”) and reckless rhyme-spitting (“O.K.”). But the most impressive could be pulling Jay Electronica out of retirement on “Suplexes Inside of Complexes and ÂDuplexes.” -Kathy Iandoli
POP
3OH!3
“Omens”
Producer: 3OH!3
Photo Finish/Atlantic
Release Date: June 18
3OH!3 launched in 2008 with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and boisterous electro-pop numbers, but third album “Omens” eschews some of that formative, swaggering witticism for zeitgeist-y pop. The duo offers clever, spitfire raps on a few tracks — notably “Live for the Weekend” and “Two Girlfriends” — but mostly focuses on EDM-style production and Auto-Tune. -EZ
POP
BIG TIME RUSH
“24/seven”
Producers: various
Columbia Records
Release Date: June 11
Nickelodeon boy band Big Time Rush offers an unabashed call to the dancefloor on third album “24/seven.” From the high-energy positivity of the title track to the hip-hop-tinged “Song for You” and deeper electro vibe of “Confetti Falling,” the group has evolved musically while keeping its fun, good-boy image intact. -Jill Menze