Tori Amos
To Venus and Back The enigmatic Amos has always been equally at home with the New Age piano vamps of Kate Bush and the gargantuan riffs of Led Zeppelin. Here's hoping one track, "Glory of the 80's," celebrates the singer's previous life as a hair-metal diva. (September 21, Atlantic.)

Nine Inch Nails
The Fragile Trent Reznor hasn't released an album for five years, but if his new single "Starfuckers, Inc." is any indication, he's still just as sleazy and bent out of shape. (Interscope, September 21.)

Chris Cornell
Euphoria Morning As the singer of Soundgarden, Chris Cornell made grunge grandiose on songs like "Black Hole Sun." Nearly three years after the demise of the band -- and several more after the death of grunge -- Cornell is coming back with a strikingly slick collection of stripped-down rock. (A&M, September 21.)

Ben Harper
Burn to Shine Singer-songwriter Ben Harper has always mixed folk, rock, and Delta blues, but his fourth album makes the blend more commercially palatable. (Virgin, September 21.)

Sting
Brand New Day After trying on everything from reggae to jazz fusion, former Police-man Sting returns to world-music-influenced pop. Since it's a late-1999 release from a New Ager, there are meditations on the millennium ("A Thousand Years") and musings on what the future will bring ("Tomorrow We'll See"). (A&M, September 28.)

Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony Ricky Martin conquered the Billboard charts in the name of Latin pop, but now it's Marc Anthony's turn to fight his own battle -- this time in the name of authentic Latin music. Expectations -- both creative and commercial -- are high. (Columbia, September 28.)

David Bowie
Hours . . . Some of Bowie's recent strange changes -- notably his flirtation with drum 'n' bass on Earthling -- haven't exactly moved him forward. So he's looking backward with ambient rock that recalls his Hunky Dory days with a modern twist. (Virgin, October 5.)

Live
The Distance to Here Live's serious, passionate rock makes Michael Stipe look like a class clown -- and it's won them one of the most devout followings in pop. If they can keep it after releasing their fourth record, they'll also be one of the longer-lasting rock groups on the charts. (Radioactive/MCA, October 5.)

Melissa Etheridge
Breakdown Melissa Etheridge's follow-up to her massively successful 1995 album Your Little Secret is full of the gritty rockers she's become known for, including one titled "Mama I'm Strange." What could she be referring to? (Island/Def Jam, October 5.)

Jessica Simpson
Sweet Kisses Sony boss Tommy Mottola is betting this Dallas-bred pop singer will follow Britney Spears to teen idol-dom. With Simpson's silky voice and Lolita-esque looks, Sony stockholders have nothing to worry about. (Sony, October 5.)

Les Rythmes Digitales
Darkdancer Obsessed with France and futurism, Les Rythmes Digitales is neither: He's an eighties-obsessed Englishman who never got tired of synth-poppers like Depeche Mode. (Astralwerks, October 5.)

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
The X-Ray Style Bands like Rancid borrowed the Clash's politics and ska-punk sound. Now the ex-Clash front man returns the favor by releasing an album on Rancid front man Tim Armstrong's Hellcat label. (Hellcat/Epitaph, October 19.)

Handsome Boy Modeling School
So . . . How's Your Girl? The latest project from pioneering producer Prince Paul can best be described as a hip-hop musical about a male modeling school. It's a bizarre concept, but Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori, De La Soul's Trugoy, Atari Teenage Riot's Alec Empire, Beastie Boys collaborator Money Mark, and Dr. Octagon producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura are all in on the joke. (Tommy Boy, October 19.)

Bob Marley
A Rebel's Dream An all-star cast of rappers including Lauryn Hill, Eyrkah Badu, the Roots, and Busta Rhymes pay tribute to the reggae legend by adding vocals to original Bob Marley tracks. Purists may cry foul, but the project (helmed by Marley's son, Stephen) offers respectful takes on a formidable legacy. (Island/Def Jam, October 26.)

Mariah Carey
Rainbow Fans who weren't sated with Mariah Carey's greatest-hits collection No. 1's -- you know who you are -- can expect more of the high-gloss R&B of her summer hit "Heartbreaker." (Columbia, November 2.)

Will Smith
Willenium It wasn't hard not to be wild about Wild Wild West, but Will Smith will surely provide more than his fair share of sample-fueled hits on his follow-up to the hugely successful Big Willie Style. Bonus: Only two more months of millennium albums. (Columbia, November 9.)

Fiona Apple
When The Pawn Hits The Conflicts He Thinks Like A King What He Knows Throws The Blows When He Goes To The Fight And He'll Win The Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters The Ring There's No Body To Batter When You're Mind Is You're Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand And Remember That Depth is The Greatest Of Heights And If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where To Land And If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right. It's no joke: This poem is the full title of Fiona Apple's long-awaited follow-up to the tortured teenage blues of her debut. 'Nuff said. (Clean Slate/Epic, November 9.)

Beck
What musical style(s) Beck will tackle after the tropicalia- and folk-inspired Mutations and the sampladelic genius of Odelay is anybody's guess. But there's no doubt that his as-yet-untitled project will provide plenty of postmodern thrills. (Interscope, November 16.)

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