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New Releases, Nov. 6: Britney Spears, George Strait, B.B. King

By LiveDaily Contributing Editor

plus: Dope [ tickets ], Faith Evans [ tickets ], Merle Haggard, Angie Stone, Flickerstick, more.

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Britney Spears [ tickets ]
"Britney" (Jive)

Spears' latest--which has been preceded by a minor flap over the revelation that the teen idol curses on some tracks--is the pop sensation's third album in as many years. The new album features the single "I'm a Slave 4 U," a downloadable, remixed version of which is available at Spears' official website. The song's risqué music video has been occupying the upper rungs of MTV's "Total Request Live" chart.

"Britney" follows last year's "Oops! … I Did It Again," which spawned a hit single of the same name. That album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and, with about 1.3 million copies sold during its inaugural week, garnered the second-highest first-week sales total in Soundscan history. (That mark was surpassed a short while later by Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP.") The Recording Industry Association of America has certified the album multi-platinum for shipping 9 million copies in the U.S. since its release.

" … Baby One More Time," Spears' debut effort, surfaced in 1999, and has been certifiedfor shipment of 13 million copies in the U.S.

Spears will mark the release of "Britney" with several television appearances, including a Monday (11/5) performance on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show"--where she is scheduled to perform new single "I'm Not a Girl"--and a Tuesday (11/6) appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Fox Family, meanwhile, will air a Spears special titled "Britney: Listen Up" on Saturday (11/10), and will rebroadcast the show on Sunday (11/11).

Last week, Spears kicked off a tour in support of "Britney." Her Nov. 18 performance at Las Vegas' MGM Grand resort is scheduled to air live on HBO.

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George Strait [ tickets ]
"Road Less Traveled" (MCA Nashville)

With 25 platinum-certified albums, George Strait has more million-selling LPs than any other country artist. On his 28th album for MCA Nashville, Strait's sound remains rooted in traditional country and western swing.

The first single from the album, "Run," sits at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart dated Nov. 10.

Strait is scheduled to perform at the 35th Annual CMA Awards, which will air on Wednesday (11/7) on CBS-TV. He performed a 1984 song titled "The Fireman" at the Oct. 21 Country Freedom Concert in Nashville, which benefited victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

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B.B. King [ tickets ]
"A Christmas Celebration of Hope" (MCA)

The legendary bluesman's latest is his first-ever Christmas album. It comprises thirteen traditional holiday staples delivered with a blues spin, including “Please Come Home for Christmas,” “Lonesome Christmas,” “Back Door Santa,” “Christmas in Heaven,” “I'll Be Home for Christmas,” “Christmas Comes but Once a Year,” “Auld Lang Syne" and others.

MCA Records is donating all profits from the sale of the album to City of Hope, a biomedical research and treatment center whose efforts focus on diabetes, gene therapy, cell regeneration, T-cell therapy and cancer drug development, according to a press release.

King recorded the collection in Louisiana in June, and produced the album himself.

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Dope
"Life" (Epic)

The New York City-based rock group Dope returns this week with its second major-label effort. Signed to Fred Durst’s label Flip and distributed by Epic Records, Dope widened its focus for the new album's material.

"The first album [1999's "Felons and Revolutionaries"] was devoted to a two-year period of my life and only deals with a few emotions--mainly anger and frustration," singer Edsel Dope said in a band press release. "With the new album, I wanted to tap into the 22 years and 52 emotions I didn’t explore the first time around. I called this record ‘Life’ because it deals with everything people go through in a day."

"Life" was produced by Edsel Dope and Josh Abraham (Staind, Limp Bizkit, Orgy). The band is on tour opening for Cold through Dec. 1.

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Faith Evans
"Faithfully" (Bad Boy/Arista)

Bad Boy label head P. Diddy is among the guests on this new hip-hop/R&B album from the wife of deceased rapper Notorious B.I.G. Other guests include Loon and Carl Thomas.

A few songs from "Faithfully" can be heard at Evans' official website. According to the site, she is scheduled to appear on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Nov. 8.

In addition to her own album, Evans appears on DMX's recent release, "The Great Depression" (Def Jam), and on P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family's "The Saga Continues" (Bad Boy Entertainment).

Her previous albums are "Keep the Faith" (1998) and her full-length debut, "Faith" (1995), both on Bad Boy.

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Merle Haggard
"Roots, Volume 1" (Anti)

Speaking of the new album in a recent liveDaily interview, Haggard said that "Roots, Volume 1" celebrates "music that I played before I had music of my own."

The album covers songs from such country music greats as Lefty Frizzell, Hank Thompson and Hank Williams.

An imprint of punk label Epitaph Records, Anti also released Haggard's previous album, 2000's "If I Could Only Fly." The Anti website is offering a download of the new album's first track, "If You've Got the Money (I've Got the Time)."

On Tuesday (10/30), Billboard.com reported that Haggard has canceled "the balance of his U.S. touring plans through Nov. 3" due to doctor's orders following his recent chest pains. Haggard reportedly has a history of coronary problems

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Angie Stone
"Mahogany Soul" (J Records)

The Afro-haired neo-soul siren's latest is the follow-up to 1999's critically and commercially well-received "Black Stone" (Arista). "Mahogany Soul" marks Stone's first release on J Records.

The album--and, most notably, the first single, "Brotha"--takes its cues from '70s-era soul. Streaming audio and video of "Brotha," and other tracks off "Mahogany Soul" are available at Stone's official website.

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Flickerstick
"Welcoming Home the Astronauts" (Epic)

The winners of VH-1's "Bands on the Run" series will soon see whether the reality show translates into rock and roll super-stardom.

Epic Records signed the Dallas-based quintet in August, and remixed and remastered the previously released "Astronauts," the new version of which will contain the new track "Smile."

The band tours in support of the album's re-release through November. Tour dates are available at Flickerstick's official website.

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Compiled by Jon Zahlaway with Rob Evans, Christina Fuoco, Scott Henkemeyer, Marc Weidenbaum and James Woster.