Juvenile [ tickets ]
“Project English“ (Universal)

Cash Money Millionaire Juvenile returns with the follow-up to 1999’s “Tha G-Code.” The latest from the New Orleans-based rapper features the track “Set It Off,” which entered Billboard’s latest Hot Rap Singles chart at No. 18.

The music video for "Set It Off," meanwhile, is the No. 5 most-played video on BET and is a Top 10 most-requested video at the network overall, according to Juvenile’s publicist. The video is also in the Top 15 at MTV, the publicist noted.

The 16-track “Project English” features guest appearances by Cash Money Millionaire labelmates the Big Tymers, Lil' Wayne, B.G. and Turk.

To date, Juvenile’s most commercially successful album is 1998’s “400 Degrees,” which features the rapper’s breakthrough hits “Ha” and “Back That Azz Up.” The album has been certified multi-platinum for shipping 4 million copies, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Maxwell [ tickets ]
“Now“ (Columbia)

The third studio album from Maxwell hits stores this week as the R&B crooner continues a series of seven concerts at seven different New York City concert venues.

The Brooklyn native's two previous releases--1996's "Urban Hang Suite" and 1998's "Embrya"--have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for hitting the million-sales mark, and the new, ballad-heavy album seems a good candidate to follow suit.

"Fortunate," a song that he contributed to the soundtrack of the movie "Life," is a hidden bonus track on "Now." The song was Billboard's No. 1 R&B/Hip-Hop single of 1999.

The first single form "Now," titled "Lifetime," is being streamed at Maxwell's official website. The second single will be a cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work," a song that he recorded for his 1997 "MTV Unplugged" EP.

After wrapping up his New York shows, which feature Alicia Keys, Maxwell and Keys take to the road for a two-month tour.

Rollins Band [ tickets ]
“Nice“ (Sanctuary)

Rollins Band leader Henry Rollins told VH1.com that he wanted to poke fun at his band’s overly-serious image by giving the new album the cheeky title “Nice.” The record is the band’s first for its new label, Sanctuary.

Two editions of the album will be released. On one edition, the cover art depicts a woman in an American flag swimsuit rolling around in money. On the other edition, the woman wears nothing.

“Nice” comes in the wake of this year’s “Rollins in the Wry,” Rollins’ most recent in a series of spoken-word albums.

The Rollins band is in the midst of a headlining tour that wraps on Sept. 27 at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C.

Laurie Anderson [ tickets ]
“Life on a String“ (Nonesuch)

Anderson’s latest was originally intended to serve as a companion piece to her recent multi-media theatrical production, "Moby Dick: Songs and Stories from Moby Dick," an event that featured Anderson performing music inspired by the famous Herman Melville novel. The project ended up becoming a work of its own, and features guest appearances from artists such as Skuli Sverrisson, Dr. John, Peter Scherer, Eric Friedlander and Lou Reed.

Anderson will mount a tour in support of the new album beginning next month.

Robbie Fulks
“Couples in Trouble” (Boondoggle)

Having made his reputation as a singer-songwriter of humorous country songs, Fulks has headed in a completely new direction. As he told Billboard recently, "This is my first record that is entirely made up of utterly straight-faced earnestness, which will probably kill what little career I have."

According to Billboard, Fulks used the contract-buyout money that he received from Geffen Records--which released his 1998 album "Let's Kill Saturday Night," an album that featured rock/pop and country songs--to finance the self-produced "Couples in Trouble," which he is releasing on his own Boondoggle Records.

The music on the new album includes strings, horns and sound effects, a stark contrast to his previous releases.

Elvis Costello
“My Aim Is True”
“Spike"
“All This Useless Beauty” (Rhino)

This week, Rhino Records begins its series of Costello reissues with 1977's "My Aim Is True," 1989's "Spike" and 1996's "All This Useless Beauty."

According to the label, the groups of reissues will be organized "thematically," rather than chronologically. The theme of the first group is "the rich, eclectic sound of Costello's solo work"; these three albums do not feature Costello's band, the Attractions.

Each album will be released as a two-CD set, with the first CD featuring the album as originally released and the second disc containing "bonus material, such as demos, live versions, non-album singles, B-sides, alternate takes, and other gems," as well as liner notes written by Costello, according to Rhino.

Other new releases:

Adema - “Adema” (Arista)
BeatleJazz - “Another Bite of the Apple” (Lightyear)
Black Cat Music - “Hand in the Estuary... Torso in the Lake” (Lookout)
Bosco - “Action” (Atlantic)
Boxhead Ensemble - “Two Brothers” (Atavistic)
Dennis Brown - “Love’s Got a Hold on You” (Artists Only)
Cartoons DK - “Toontastic!” (Edel America)
The Casualties - “Die Hards” (Side 1 Dummy)
Matt Cheplic - “Don’t Let Me Lose My Mind” (Bodyguard)
The Clean - “Getaway” (Merge)
Cowboy Junkies - “Best Of Cowboy Junkies” (RCA)
Cowboy Nation - “We Do as We Please” (Paras Group)
Crowbar - “Sonic Excess in Its Purest Form” (Spitfire)
Catie Curtis - “My Shirt Looks Good on You” (Ryko)
GiGi D’Agostino - “L’Amour Toujours” (Arista)
The Damned - “Grave Disorder” (Nitro)
Daphne Hero - “Daphne Hero” (Bodyguard)
John Debney - “Cats and Dogs” [motion-picture score] (Varèse Sarabande)
Dezeray’s Hammer - “Immune” (Red Ink)
Donovan - “Anthology: Summer Day Reflection Songs” (Sanctuary)
Dave Douglas - “ Witness” (RCA Victor)
Heather Duby and Elemental - “Heather Duby and Elemental” [EP] (Sub Pop)
Dyablo - “Destrukxion” (East Side)
Richard Elliot - “Crush” (GRP)
The Faint - “Danse Macabre” (Saddle Creek)
Federation X - “American Folk Horror” (Estrus)
Galactic - “We Love ’Em Tonight (live at Tipitina’s)” (Volcano)
Grade - “Headfirst Straight to Hell” (Victory)
Charlie Haden and Egberto Gismonti - “In Montreal” (ECM)
Michael Hill’s Blues Mob - “Larger Than Life” (Singular)
Hipnotek - “Hipnotek” (Pandisc)
His Name Is Alive - “Someday My Blues Will Cover the Earth” (Four A.D.)
Dave Holland - “Quintet Not for Nothin’” (ECM)
Tony Humphries - “Mixer Presents: United DJs of America, Vol. 18” (Razor & Tie)
Bill Janovitz - “Up Here” (Spin Art)
Bill Kirchen - “Tied to the Wheel” (Hightone)
Nathan Larson - “Jealous God” (Artemis)
Lazy Lester Blues - “Stop Knockin’” (Texas Music Group)
Charles Lloyd - “Hyperion with Higgins” (ECM)
Lord Finesse & DJ Smooth - “Funky Technician” (Jcor)
Lost at Last - “Lost at Last” (Windham Hill)
Luciano & Friends - “ We Three Kings” (Artists Only)
Lupine Howl - “Carnivorous Lunar Adventures of...” (Beggars Banquet)
Tracy Lyons - “Surrender” (Vapor)
Eddie M. - “Eddie M.” (Gold Circle)
Matt Marque - “Get There” (Atavistic)
Tom McRae - “Tom McRae” (Arista)
The Mink Lungs - “Better Button” (Arena Rock)
Moviola - “Rumors of the Faithful” (Spirit of Orr)
Michael Martin Murphey - “Playing Favorites” (Paras Group)
Graham Parker - “Deepcut to Nowhere” (Razor & Tie)
Leon Parker - “The Simple Life” (Label M)
The Phantom Limbs - “Applied Ignorance” (Alternative Tentacles)
John Phillips - “Phillips 66” (Eagle)
Jean-Luc Ponty - “Life Enigma” (JLP Productions)
Pram - “Somniloquy” (Merge)
Tom Prehn Kvartet - “Tom Prehn Kvartet” (Atavistic)
Billy Preston - “Music from My Heart” (MCG)
Psyco on da Bus - “Psyco on da Bus” (Paras Group)
Pullman - “Viewfinder” (Thrill Jockey)
Quasi - “The Sword of God” (Touch and Go)
Rhythm Masters - “Disconnect Your Head” (Tommy Boy)
Rising Lion - “Don’t Lose Yourself” (RPH)
River City Rebels - “Playin’ to Live, Livin’ to Play” (Victory)
Lalo Schifren - “Rush Hour 2” motion-picture score (Varèse Sarabande)
Seven Channels - “Seven Channels” (Palm Pictures)
Billy Sheehan - “Compression” (Favored Nations)
Sugarcult - “Start Static” (Ultimatum Music/Artemis)
Sun Ra Arkestra - “Nuclear War” (Atavistic)
Dante Thomas - “Fly” (Elektra)
Tinstar - “Dirty Bird” (V2)
Tuck & Patti - “As Time Goes By” (Windham Hill)
Scott Tuma - “Hard Again” (Atavistic)
UGK - “Dirty Money” (Silvertone)
Ultramagnetic MC’s - “Four Horsemen” (Jcor)
John Waite- “Figure in a Landscape” (Gold Circle)
Warden - “Ring the Alarm” (Ark 21)
The Waterboys - “A Rock in the Weary Land” (Razor & Tie)
Dallas Wayne- “Here I Am in Dallas” (Hightone)
Andy White - “Andy White” (Thirsty Ear)
Christopher Williams - “Real Men Do”” (Renegade)
Mark Wills - “Loving Every Minute” (Mercury Nashville)
Lesette Wilson - “Livin’ in the Zone” (N-Coded)
Shannon Wright - “Dyed in the Wool” (Quarterstick)
Zen Guerrilla - “Shadows on the Sun” (Sub Pop)
Various artists - “A Smooth Jazz Christmas” (Gold Circle)
Various artists - “Groovejet - The Compilation” (Ark 21)
Various artists - “Happy Accidents” soundtrack (TVT)
Various artists - “In at the Deep End” (StreetBeat)
Various artists - “O” soundtrack (Antra/Artemis)
Various artists - “Screw Heads: Forever and a Day” (Jcor)
Various artists - “Summer Catch” soundtrack (Hollywood)

Compiled by Jon Zahlaway with Rob Evans, Scott Henkemeyer and James Woster.