Top 10 Albums to Watch for in 2008

[soniya]

2008's best albums are still in the recording and/or production stages. The beginning of the year is the time to pull out the crystal ball and try to see what is coming our way. These are 10 of the most anticipated pop albums for the year 2008.

1. Janet Jackson - Discipline




Courtesy Island Def Jam
Anticipated Release Date: February 26, 2008.
Janet Jackson is one of the top pop recording artists of all time. She has released 10 #1 pop singles. However, her last two albums were relative commercial disappointments. She charged back with the release of the single "Feedback", a hot preview of her upcoming album Discipline, in late 2007. The critical and fan buzz about a Janet Jackson release has not been this loud in many years.


2. Sheryl Crow - Detours


Courtesy A&M Records
Anticipated Release Date: February 5, 2008.
Sheryl Crow's most recent studio album Wildflower was her first solo studio release to fail to generate a top 20 pop hit single. Since then Crow has successfully battled breast cancer and returned to a more familiar roots rock sound. The lead single from this album is "Love Is Free."



3. Mariah Carey - To Be Announced


Photo by Charley Gallay / Getty Images
Anticipated Release Date: February, 2008.
Mariah Carey's most recent album The Emancipation of Mimi was a phenomenal hit that returned Carey to stardom after some lean years. Details about her upcoming 11th studio album have been sparse, but she has said publicly she looks at the last album as the main course and this one as the dessert.


4. Panic! At the Disco - To Be Announced


Photo by Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Anticipated Release Date: March 25, 2008
Reportedly, Panic! At the Disco had their second album nearly complete this past summer when they shelved the material and started over. Fans are growing impatient, but this sophomore release is eagerly awaited.


5. Simple Plan - Simple Plan


Courtesy Atlantic Records
Anticipated Release Date: February 12, 2008.
It has been over 3 years since Simple Plan's double platinum Still Not Getting Any... put them firmly in the forefront of punk pop bands. Now the band are presenting a more mainstream power pop oriented sound. Check out the first single from this upcoming album "When I'm Gone."


6. R.E.M. - Accelerate


Photo by Jo Hale / Getty Images
Anticipated Release Date: April 1, 2008
Back in the early 1990's, R.E.M. were the world's greatest rock band. However, their audience has faded over time as the group's music has become less immediately accessible. The band's last album Around the Sun failed to reach the top 10 on the Billboard album chart. However, the upcoming album is expected to have a more straightforward rock feel and was produced by Jacknife Lee, a producer and remixer known for his work with U2 and Snow Patrol.


7. Natasha Bedingfield - Pocektful of Sunshine


Courtesy Epic
Anticipated Release Date - January 15, 2008
Natasha Bedingfield's second American album has been a long time coming. In fact, she was included on last year's upcoming albums list. She did release a second album, N.B. in the UK, but its commercial success was lackluster. The American second album has been significantly retooled with new songs including the hit single "Love Like This."



8. Michael Jackson - Thriller 25


Courtesy Sony
Anticipated Release Date - February 12, 2008.
Michael Jackson's Thriller, released in December 1982, is the biggest selling album of all time. This new collection revisits the Thriller recording sessions with previously unreleased tracks as well as new remixes of classic hits featuring such current hot artists as Akon and Fergie. It is rumored that a full-length new studio album may follow closely on the heels of this project.


9. Leona Lewis - Spirit


Courtesy J Records
Anticipated Release Date: March 18, 2008.
Leona Lewis, a winner of the talent show X Factor, is the biggest new pop artist of 2007 in the UK. Her hit single "Bleeding Love" is a phenomenal introduction to this upcoming release.


10. Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static


Courtesy Brushfire Records
Anticipated Release Date: February 5, 2008.
Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson has been gradually building a major following with his trademark laidback, sunny style since the release of his debut Brushfire Fairytales in 2001. This rise was capped by the #1 peak of his last album, the soundtrack to the children's film Curious George.