NEW RELEASES - October 2005

After years away and multiple attempts by his record company to push the release sooner, Stevie Wonder has released his first studio album in a decade. The music legend's A Time To Love contains 15 tracks, including duets with his daughter Aisha. Other notables dropping in on various tracks include India Arie and Paul McCartney. Wonder, one of popular music's mainstays continues his charitable work on A Time To Love, with proceeds from the single Shelter in the Rain being funneled to a hurricane relief fund.

Two other veteran acts are in the process of releasing new music, one with a somewhat macabre twist as Notorious B.I.G.'s label releases an exotically mixed single with Bob Marley also on vocals. The tune, Hold Ya Hand, is expected to be part of a CD retrospective due later this year.

Another veteran act rushing to the greatest hits / boxed set is The Beastie Boys. Fans may start calling them The Beastie Men soon since the band has been releasing music for more than twenty years. Their Solid Gold Hits will include a DVD featuring music videos, but no new studio material.

Late Registration, the strong sophomore effort from Kanye West, was also attracting plenty of attention this month as its Gold Digger single continued to top the singles charts.

Finally, a trio of female artists lead a resurgence with new releases as Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple and Gretchen Wilson all released albums. Many fans are looking to see if Wilson can capture lightning in a bottle twice following her mega-hit Here For The Party. Industry observers, though, think the better bet is the softer sounding Crow whose Wildflower may not have the singalong standards of her previous work but ratchet the energy down a notch to showcase the singer's more adult-friendly side.