Fall Music Preview

SEPTEMBER

Mariah Carey
MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL (9/29)
Twelve albums in, Mimi is fully emancipated, and promising more of the R&B jams and heart-tugging balladry that have made her a superstar for nearly two decades.

Alice in Chains
BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE (9/29)
The grunge favorites reemerge with a new singer, William DuVall. Haunting harmonies? Check. Nasty riffs? Check. Elton John cameo? Hmm!

Selena Gomez
KISS AND TELL (9/29)
For her debut album, the tween-alicious Disney star co-wrote the breakup song ''I Won't Apologize'' and worked with producers like Toby Gad (Fergie's ''Big Girls Don't Cry'').

Miranda Lambert
REVOLUTION (9/29)
This gun-loving, kerosene-spraying Texan has mellowed a bit on her third CD, but as heartbreaking lead single ''Dead Flowers'' suggests, she's still killer.

Paramore
BRAND NEW EYES (9/29)
Pop-punk princess Hayley Williams & Co. team with Green Day producer Rob Cavallo for their third full-length. Along with more angsty anthems, look for some insight into the tumultuous band dynamics that inspired fiery first single ''Ignorance.''

Barbra Streisand
LOVE IS THE ANSWER (9/29)
Diana Krall produced this collection of jazz standards. A deluxe version offers two discs: one with full orchestration, the other backed by Krall's jazz quartet.

Karen O and the Kids
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE SOUNDTRACK (9/29)
Spike Jonze turned to ex-girlfriend Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to create a childlike album to accompany his adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic.

ALSO DUE
Nelly Furtado (9/15), AFI (9/29), Foreigner (9/29), Lynyrd Skynyrd (9/29), Music Inspired by the Film More Than a Game (9/29)

OCTOBER

Michael Jackson
THE REMIX SUITE (10/27)
Twelve contemporary knob-twiddlers — including the Neptunes, Paul Oakenfold, and (huh?) blink-182's Mark Hoppus — put their own spin on the King of Pop's timeless hits for this eminently danceable tribute project.

Backstreet Boys
THIS IS US (10/6)
After a brief sojourn in Daughtryville with their last album, the quartet return to the R&B-tinged pop that made them megastars a decade ago.

Toby Keith
AMERICAN RIDE (10/6)
He didn't write the title track, but its unsubtle indictment of American culture is totally Toby.

R. Kelly
STILL UNTITLED (10.13)
Who else could get away with sequencing a song titled ''Religious'' just six tracks after one called ''Bangin' the Headboard''?

Jay Sean
ALL OR NOTHING (10/13)
The English star behind dance smash ''Down'' makes his bid for even bigger success with his first full-length U.S. album.

Shakira
SHE WOLF (10/13)
The ''Hips Don't Lie'' singer's latest, which includes the howlingly popular title track, is a seriously dance-floor-friendly affair.

New Moon Soundtrack
(10/20)
This sequel to the first Twilight-album smash has original contributions from Death Cab for Cutie, Bon Iver, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke, among others.

Tim McGraw
SOUTHERN VOICE (10/20)
''It's a Business Doing Pleasure With You,'' the cantankerous first tune off McGraw's new one, was co-written by Nickelback's Chad Kroeger.

The Roots
HOW I GOT OVER (10/20)
Their first CD since becoming Jimmy Fallon's sidekicks features the funky title tune and, oddly enough, a cover of Frank Zappa's ''Peaches en Regalia.''

Joss Stone
COLOUR ME FREE (10/20)
The soulful songstress puts out another collection of retro grooves. Guests include Nas, Jeff Beck, and Sheila E.

Creed
FULL CIRCLE (10/27)
A reunion album finds ill-behaved frontman Scott Stapp in redemption-seeking mode, singing ''I'm not the man I used to be'' on ''Away in Silence.''

The Swell Season
STRICT JOY (10/27)
After winning an Oscar and ending their relationship, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova pair up for a sequel to 2007's stirring Once soundtrack.

Weezer
RADITUDE (10/27)
The Office's Rainn Wilson provided the cheesetastic name for the band's seventh album.

ALSO DUEBig Kenny (10/6), Built to Spill (10/6), Rosanne Cash (10/6), Kiss (10/6), Daniel Merriweather (10/6), Meshell Ndegeocello (10/6), Tokio Hotel (10/6), Michael Bublé (10/9), Dead by Sunrise (10/13), Flaming Lips (10/13), Brian McKnight (10/13), Julian Casablancas (10/20), The Clipse (10/20), Flight of the Conchords (10/20), Lyle Lovett (10/20), Devendra Banhart (10/27), Carly Simon (10/27), Rod Stewart (10/27), Train (10/27)