The Dave Matthews Band [ tickets ] has signed a new contract with longtime label RCA Records.

"Dave Matthews Band is unquestionably one of the greatest contemporary rock bands of all time," BMG North America Chairman and CEO Clive Davis said in a statement. "They have long been a cornerstone of the RCA Records roster and I'm personally thrilled that the tradition will continue."

DMB is currently in pre-production for a new studio album. No release date has been announced.

Ray Charles [ tickets ]' recovery from hip surgery is taking longer than expected. The singer, who was scheduled to return to the concert stage next month, ending an eight-month hiatus from touring, is now expected to return to the road in June.

Ex-Smiths frontman Morrissey [ tickets ] is scheduled to release his first new studio album in seven years on May 18. More surprisingly, the famously depressive alt-rocker sounds upbeat when he describes the new material.

"There are no links to the past," Morrissey said in statement. "This is a much brighter sounding album, than much of my previous work. We've turned the page with 'Quarry.' It's a dynamic album and I couldn't be any happier."

Titled "You Are the Quarry," the album was recorded in Los Angeles and London.

David Crosby [ tickets ] and Graham Nash [ tickets ], of Crosby, Stills & Nash fame, are recording together as a duo for the first time in more than 25 years. The new album is expected to hit stores this summer, according to a press release.