60. Evanescence - Untitled third album (TBA)
Evanescence have been through their fair share of drama, but it looks like Amy Lee and whoever else she’s playing with these days have finally got their **** together. The band will reportedly combine their trademark pop-metal sound with some electronica for their upcoming third LP, and Amy has stated that she has “high hopes” for 2011.
So do we.
59. Sam Sparro – Untitled sophomore album (TBA)
Sam Sparro’s latest foray into 90′s instrumental house music may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but the Aussie dance duke promises that his upcoming sophomore album will feature his own vocals. We have no idea what he’s cooking up, but knowing Sam, it’s bound to be good.
58. Leighton Meester – Untitled debut album (TBA)
Leighton’s already shows as that she can knock out a perfect pop tune thanks to the sophisticated urban-pop groove “Somebody to Love” and the stomping 80′s throwback “Body Control”, now all she has to do is follow it up with that elusive album of hers.
57. Lil’ Wayne – Tha Carter IV (TBA)
The tattooed jail bird will release the highly-anticipated next entry in his critically-acclaimed Tha Carter series next year. If the lead single “6 Foot 7 Foot” is anything to go by, it’s gonna be great.
56. Dolly Parton – Untitled Dance Album (TBA)
Dolly is going dance! Yup, the Queen of Country will tread new ground next year with the release of her first dance album – guaranteed to be a camp classic in the making.
55. Bonnie McKee -Untitled sophomore album (TBA)
The talent behind Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream will get another shot at solo success when she releases her Dr. Luke produced sophomore album next year.
54. Coldplay - Untitled fifth album (First Half 2011)
Gwyneth’s husband will be back next year with another collection of melodic tunes and sweeping hooks. *golf claps*
53. Bush - Everything Always Now (February)
Bush (fronted by Gwen Stefani’s gorgeous husband Gavin Rossdale) are another 90′s band making a comeback next year. The grunge rockers have replaced two members, and are working with a new producer Bob Rock, whose previous credits include Metallica, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Veruca Salt and more.
The return of 90′s grunge! I hope.
52. Amerie - Cymatika Vol.1 (TBA)
Everybody’s favorite underrated R&B chickadee will be back next year with what is sure to be another stellar effort that will go completely unnoticed and end up in the bargain bin. Perhaps the new dance-pop sound she’s incorporating into the record will help her commercial success somewhat match her critical acclaim.
51. Kenna - Songs for Flight (First Half 2011)
The Neptunes right hand man will release more of his hipster urban indie-rock next year. I have no idea what it’s going to sound like, but almost everything Kenna does is amazing, so expect Songs for Flight to be one of 2011′s dark horses.
50. Ashlee Simpson – Untitled Fourth Album (Late 2011)
It’s easy to make fun of Ashlee Simpson, considering the SNL fiasco and the fact that she’s related to Jessica, but it’s hard to deny the fact that Autobiography and I Am Me were both stellar pieces of manufactured teen pop-rock gold, while 2008′s Bittersweet World was an interesting experiment in quirky urban-pop. Now Ashlee’s all grown up and married with a baby, and she’s trying to reinvent herself with a kooky folk-rock album inspired by female singer-songwriter’s like Florence Welch, Jewel and Fiona Apple. Sounds hawwwwt!
49. Tool - Untitled Fifth Album (TBA)
Whenever Tool release a new record it’s always a big deal — their last album, 2006′s 10,000 Days, went Gold first week and ended up selling 3 million copies. While rock’s been given the cold shoulder on the charts lately, we’re expecting Tool to take it right back to the top when they release their fifth studio album next year.
48. Brown Eyed Girls – Untitled Fourth Album (January)
K-Pop’s most sophisticated and mature girl group always bring something a little bit different to the table with each release, whether it be as a group or as individuals promoting their solo activities. Now thanks to the success of “Abracadabra” and Ga-In and Narsha’s solo careers, BEG are more popular than ever, and their upcoming fourth album could end up being the biggest and best yet.
47. Goapele - Milk & Honey (TBA)
Goapele showed off her saucy side and got a little experimental on 2009′s “Milk & Honey”, but unfortunately it failed to catch fire on the charts, leaving the alt-soul singer to push her album back to 2011. Hopefully there are no more bumps in the road for Goapele, because a voice like hers only comes along once in a lifetime, and leaving this record on the shelf is a damn injustice to the world.
46. Neon Hitch – Beg, Borrow & Steal (TBA)
Crazy English singer-songwriter Neon Hitch garnered attention for penning Ke$ha’s wild “Blah Blah Blah”, and now she’s busy touring the nited States, recording her debut album and praying that she’ll be the next big songwriter-turned-solo superstar. However, she’s not your typical popstar, as one look at her official Youtube channel will tell you. If Bonnie McKee is trying to be the next Katy Perry, then Neon Hitch is like the underground Ke$ha.
45. Beyonce – Untitled Fourth Album (TBA)
Beyonce’s relentless grip on the charts will continue next year when she releases her fourth album. Word is that it will be more in line with her B’Day album, following a more organic, live sound. Whatever Beyonce does, one thing is guaranteed: It’ll be jam-packed with rump shaking R&B club anthems and soppy, radio-ready ballads.
44. JoJo - All I Want is Everything (2011)
Poor, sweet, talented JoJo. All she wants is everything, but all she seems to get are album push backs and leaked records. Apparently her long-awaited third album will finally receive a release next year, and if true, then everybody should get to see that JoJo is truly one of the best R&B/Pop artist’s of today’s generation.
43. Stevie Nicks - Untitled seventh album (TBA)
Come 2011, Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks will release her first studio album in almost a decade. How on earth could this not be a huge ****ing deal?
42. Editors - Untitled third album (TBA)
Awesome British new-wave rockers will release their fourth studio album sometime next year. Can I get a hell yeah?
41. Rye Rye – Go! Pop! Bang! (January/February)
M.I.A. protege Rye Rye had one of the dopest jams of 2010 with “Sunshine”. Judging by the leaks from her upcoming debut Go! Pop! Bang!, she has plenty more fly Hip-Hop jams up her sleeve. You may even see Rye Rye riding high on the Billboard charts soon, as the young star admitted in a recent interview that N.E.E.T/Interscope have big plans for her to crossover in the future.
40. Brandy - Sixth Studio Album (TBA)
Brandy, AKA one of the best artists in contemporary R&B/Pop, will be back next year with her sixth studio album — and she’s hoping to make it the record that will re-establish her as a superstar in the States. Let’s pray that it does well on a commercial level, because if not, we’re going to have to hear B-Rocka bitch about the album just like she did when 2008′s flawless Human after it flopped.
39. Marina & the Diamonds (Late 2011)
Marina Diamandis turned out to be one of the most exciting new pop artists around this year with her quirky debut The Family Jewels. Luckily, we won’t be waiting too long for the follow-up, with Marina recently announcing that she’ll be moving to the US in October to give her next album a proper Stateside release. Bring it on.
38. Lupe Fiasco – Lasers (March)
After some label drama, Lupe Fiasco worked things out with Atlantic Records and released his new single “The Show Goes On”. The song wasn’t nearly as good as many of his previous efforts, but c’mon, this is Lupe Fiasco we’re talking about — One average single isn’t gonna be enough to deter anyone from what is sure to be one of the best hip-hop releases of 2011.
37. Bright Eyes – The People’s Key (February)
Indie folk-rockers Bright Eyes will be getting less folky and more rocky on the Sci-Fi inspired The People’s Key this February. We’ve already heard the Pixies-esque lead single “Shell Games”, and so far so good.
36. Dr. Dre – Detox (February)
The wait for Kim and Foxy’s next albums is nothing compared to Dr. Dre’s overdue Detox. Thanks to a successful lead single “Kush”, Detox is finally set to receive it’s long overdue release this February. Familiar faces like Eminem and Snoop Dogg are set to appear, but Dre has reportedly also taken a page out of Kanye’s book and roped in La Roux’s Ely Jackson for a feature. Interesting.
35. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (First half 2011)
Whenever retro-soul maestro Raphael Saadiq drops a record, perfection is guaranteed, but the early feedback for his upcoming fourth album is predicting it to be his best yet, with comparison’s to the Jimmy Hendrix classic Electric Ladyland.
34. La Roux – Untitled Sophomore Album (TBA)
Synth-popper’s La Roux will follow-up their super successful self-titled debut next year with a funkier sound and a sexier vocal style from lead singer Ely Jackson. 2011 will let us know if La Roux are here to stay, or if they’ll end up another one-album-wonder like Kate Nash.
33. Robyn - Untitled mini-album (TBA)
Robyn released three mini-albums in 2010. All were amazing. We expect her next one to follow suit.
32. Patrick Wolf – Lupercalia (May)
Have you heard “Time of My Life” yet? Yes? Then it’s obvious why Lupercalia made this list.
31. Solange - Untitled Third Album (TBA)
The talented Knowles sister is doing the whole dance music thing on her upcoming third album, but unlike the rest of the pop industry, she’ll be putting an alternative spin on the genre by borrowing from New Wave and collaborating with the artists like Midnight Juggernauts. Love her or hate her, Solange’s last album was fantastic, and this next one will probably be too.
30. Wale - Untitled Sophomore Album (Spring)
Rapper Wale was all geared up to be the next big thing when he emerged as one of the ‘new breed’ of rappers alongside Drake and Kid Cudi, but while the latter went on to huge success, Wale was lost in the shuffle and his debut album Attention Deficit went largely unnoticed — not even a feature from Lady GaGa could save it. It was a mighty shame, since Attention Deficit was one of the best hip-hop releases of 2009. Fingers crossed that things will turn around in the new year when Wale releases his sophomore album, or he might just have to settle for being the Amerie of Hip-Hop.
29. Blink-182 – Untitled Sixth Album (April-May)
Blink-182 are officially back together and will release their first studio album in eight years this April. It’ll be interesting to see how the trio, now all grown men, will sound on the new LP. Will they be more mature, or will we see the bratty irreverence of the old Blink?
28. Cher – Untitled Comeback Album (2011)
The grand high diva of them all will make a musical comeback next year, and after a stint doing dance music, she’s ready to rock again.
27. Melanie Fiona – The MF Life (TBA)
Melanie Fiona was another one of 2009-2010′s most promising new talents. Things started off slow for the soul singer, until she stormed the R&B charts with her power-ballad “It Kills Me”. Melanie’s now focused on her upcoming sophomore album The MF Life, which she’s described as a meeting between rock and urban that she calls “Stadium Soul”.
26. James Blake – Untitled Debut Album (TBA)
James Blake’s experimental lo-fi electronica had critics losing their wigs all throughout 2010, establishing him as one of the biggest new stars to watch on the alternative scene. Sadly, he lost out on the BRITs Critic’s Choice Award to Jessie J, but with an already loyal following and three successful EPs under his belt in 2010 alone, Blake shouldn’t have any trouble when he releases his first full-length studio album next year.
25. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead (January)
Folky five-piece The Decemberists seem to grow in popularity with each new album. Their sixth studio effort, The King is Dead, drops this January, and will contain more of a country sound than their previous efforts. Giving the recent success of Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire, 2011 seems to be the perfect time for The Decemberists to make a major splash on the charts.
24. Cut Copy – Zonoscope
Indie Aussie dance trio Cut Copy not only had the critics crawling up their ass after the release of 2008′s successful In Ghost Colors, but they also found huge commercial success, topping the Australian charts and breaking into the Billboard 200. Judging by the positive reception to their dreamy new single “Take Me Over”, the boys are about to get even bigger come 2011.
23. Garbage - Untitled Fifth Album (TBA)
Garbage are one of the many rock band’s reuniting next year and making a comeback. Garbage drummer and producer Butch Vig promises that their upcoming LP will be “more primal and stripped down”, while Shirley Manson says that they’ll head back on the road and go on tour. It’s a good time to be Garbage fan.
22. Adam Lambert – Untitled Sophomore Album (TBA)
From American Idol gimmick to bonafide pop superstar, Adam Lambert became a surprisingly big deal in 2010. Now that Glambert’s established himself, he’ll have more freedom with his next album, which he says will be more in the vein of his biggest hit to date, “Whataya Want From Me”. Rocky Glambert? Yes please.
21. Missy Elliott – Block Party (TBA)
Missy’s elusive seventh studio album Block Party has been stuck in limbo for a few years now, but Hip-Hop’s biggest female innovator is due to join Dr. Dre, Lil’ Kim, Eve and Foxy Brown next year by finally releasing her delayed disc to the world. Plus, she’s the only one who actually stands a real chance against Nicki Minaj on the charts.
20. Nelly Furtado – Lifestyle (TBA)
Whatever Nelly Furtado does is hot, it’s just a given. Folky-R&B? Hot. Organic-pop? Hot. Sex soaked Hip-Hop? Super hot. On next year’s Lifestyle, Nelstar will be taking it back to basics and vibing off her best album to date, 2000′s Whoa, Nelly.
19. Bjork - Untitled (First Half of 2011)
Bjork has a new album coming “in a few months”. We have no idea what it’s going to sound like, but we’re assuming that it will be amazing.
18. Avril Lavigne – Goodbye Lullaby (March)
Avril Lavigne was once a force to be reckoned with on the charts, but a lot has changed since she ruled back in 2007 with “Girlfriend”. According to Avril, her upcoming Goodbye Lullaby album will be her most mature offering to date, featuring more piano and stripped back acoustic sounds as opposed to the overproduced pop-rock that flooded her last record. There’s a chance Goodbye Lullaby could be the biggest flop of her career, but it could also be the best thing she’s ever done.
17. Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Untitled tenth album (May-June)
One of the biggest selling bands in the world, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, will be back next year with their tenth studio album. They’re also evolving musically, and will be putting their own spin on Fela Kuti-esque “afropop” on their new record. It sounds a little odd, but Fela Kuti rocks, and the Chilli Pepper’s rock, so I imagine that their two sounds mixed together will rock, like, extra hard.
16. Patrick Stump – Soul Punk (February)
Thanks to his good looks and nude photos, Pete Wentz was always the shining star of Fall Out Boy. Well those days are long gone, and now it’s Patrick Stump’s turn to really shine. While everybody is busy totally not caring about Pete’s new band Black Cards, Patrick has been in the gym getting sexy and working on a solo album that will fuse together soul and rock, written, produced, performed and everything-ed by Stumpy himself. #stump2011
15. Kelly Clarkson – Untitled Fifth Album (2011)
The most likable popstar of the past ten years will be back to bless us with her flawless voice next year when she drops her fifth studio album. Kelly’s taste is so eclectic that it’s hard to tell exactly what type of spin she’ll put on her usual pop-rock style, but whatever she does is bound to be good. And even on the off chance that it sucks, it’ll bring her one step closer to freedom from RCA Records, so it’s a win-win situation all around.
14. Radiohead - Untitled Eighth Studio Album (TBA)
When is a Radiohead album release not a huge deal? Even if you don’t listen to them, they’re virtually inescapable each time they decide to drop something. There’s not much word on what direction they’ll go in for their upcoming eighth effort, but they’re always trying something new, so whatever it is it’s bound to be exciting. Plus, we need a fresh round of funny Thom Yorke interviews to watch.
13. Michelle Branch – Untitled Third Album (TBA)
Michelle is another artist who has been stuck in limbo for a while now. Her last studio album was released in 2003, and her only other album since then was a country record with the short-lived country duo The Wreckers. Her third album was originally set to follow the sound she started with The Wreckers, but after two years of delays the singer has hit the studio again to record new material, and this time she’ll be taking it back to the pop-rock style of her debut The Spirit Room.
“If you want to, I can save you, I can take you away from here, so lonely inside, so busy out there, and all you wanted was somebody who careeeee-eesss.”
More Santana, please.
12. Foo Fighters – Untitled Seventh Album (First Half 2011)
Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighter’s will be helping to bring rock back to the Billboard charts next year with the release of their seventh album, said to be “their heaviest yet”. Garbage drummer Butch Vig will be producing, and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic will feature on one of the songs.
11. 2NE1 - Sophomore Album/English Debut (May-June/Unconfirmed)
Fierce foursome 2NE1 made a huge splash on the second half of 2010, storming Korea with their debut album To Anyone and converting a small army of Westerners over to K-pop in the process. The girls are now are preparing to release their sophomore in May-June of next year, and if Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am can get his act together, then they’ll be heading over to the States to spread 2NE1 fever to Americans everywhere with an English-language album.
10. OutKast - Seventh Studio Album (TBA)
Fans have been kicking and screaming for a proper new OutKast album for years now. Supposedly it’ll finally arrive next year, once both Andre 3000 and Big Boi have released their own solo records. Big Boi is already out the way, so hopefully Andre will hurry up and get this solo nonsense out the way so we can all enjoy some new OutKast music.
9. Santigold – Untitled Sophomore Album (TBA)
It was only 2008 when Santigold crafted what is easily one of the best debut albums of the past five years, but it feels like much longer. She’s now preparing her sophomore effort for release next year, and while information is scarce, Q-Tip (who is producing) has said “Her [next] album is really, really great”. Well, duh.
8. Lady GaGa – Born This Way (First Half 2011)
No popstar since Britney Spears has made an impact on popular culture like Lady GaGa has these past two years.Now after two phenomenally successful albums, the media-savvy singer is showing no signs of slowing down with the impending release of her third studio album, Born This Way. She’s billed it as “The greatest album of the decade”, and while nobody other than her monsters believes that to be true, it may just very well be one of the most successful.
7. Death Cab for Cutie – Codes & Keys (Spring)
Everybody’s favorite emo indie-rockers will be back next year with their seventh studio album, and this time around they’re switching up their style, ditching the guitar-based acoustic-rock in favor of piano and strings. It’s also going to be lighter and more positive than their last album, 2008′s Narrow Stairs, which garnered them some of the best reviews of their career and became their first album to top the Billboard 200.
6. Adele - 21 (Jan/Feb)
Blue-eyed soul turned into somewhat of a fad once Amy Winehouse became the biggest thing since sliced bread, spawning a small army of imitators hoping for a piece of that lucrative Amy-pie. While some have crumbled and fallen (Duffy being the most recent), Adele looks like she’s here to stay. Her vengeful new single “Rolling In The Deep” is quickly turning into a hit around the world, and her sophomore album 21 is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode onto the charts this January. I’ll bet that 21 will do better, both critically and commercially, than Adele’s divine 2008 debut 19.
5. Florence + the Machine – Untitled Sophomore Album (TBA)
It’d be hard to think of any new female artists who have had a bigger year than Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine. Flo’s success in Australia and her home country of the UK has been huge, but nobody expected the whimsical redhead to crack the United States with her alternative brand of Gothic art-pop. But break the States she did, stealing the show at the MTV VMAs and getting her hit single “Dog Days Are Over” placed in an episode of Glee. Now that she’s established herself around the world, Flo is ready to take things to the next level with her impending sophomore album. The first taste of the record came in the sweeping “Strangeness & Charm”, which is a surefire indication that her second album may be even better than her first.
4. Amy Winehouse – Untitled Third Studio Album (First Half 2011)
Amy finally said “yes, yes, yes” to rehab, got herself off the crack, moved to St. Lucia for a few months and started recording the follow-up to her ten-million selling opus Back to Black with Salaam Remi. She says the new record will be similar to B2B, but with more of a “jukebox” feel.
If it ain’t broke, dont’ fix it. Right?
3. Britney Spears – Seventh Studio Album (March)
The Princess of Pop will return next year to keep her crown in place with the release of her seventh studio album. While early reports have Britney’s two biggest rivals Lady GaGa and Beyonce as working with all their old hitmakers on their respective new albums, Britney has been branching out and recording with a bunch of left-field British producers like William Orbit, Rusko, Chase & Status, Labrinth and more. She’s also enlisted her old pals Max Martin & Dr. Luke to executive-produce the new LP, which should give the record that polished pop sheen that Britney’s less-mainstream producers won’t be able to provide.
It’s Britney, Bitch!
2. No Doubt – Sixth Studio Album (TBA)
Out of all the bands reuniting for a comeback next year, No Doubt’s return is the most exciting. In the decade since their last album Rock Steady, Gwen Stefani has released two hugely successful pop albums, became a fashion icon, a mother, and basically took over the world. Now that she’s got all that out of her system it’s time for the No Doubt crew to come back for a full scale takeover of 2011.
1. Fiona Apple – Untitled Fourth Album (Due Spring)
Despite being in the music business for almost 15 years, the reclusive Fiona Apple has just three studio albums to her name. Perhaps that’s what makes the release of her upcoming fourth album so exciting. Or maybe it’s because her last album, 2005′s superb Extraordinary Machine, was named the best album of the year by everybody from Entertainment Weekly to the New York Times. It could be because it’s the first album Fiona will release since reaching her thirties. Or even because she’s said that she’s pushed herself to write things that are more “challenging” for her to play and sing — a bold statement from somebody who is already known for their unpredictable musical compositions.
There’s really a million reasons why Fiona’s album is the most anticipated of the year, and if you don’t know them now, then you will this Spring.
http://www.theprophetblog.net/the-pr...albums-of-2011
