Bruce, U2, Green Day, Jay-Z and more
By Ricardo Baca


Watch for U2's "No Line on the Horizon" in March. (Francois Durand, Getty Images)
Now that we've crossed into 2009, it's time to stop looking back at 2008 via top 10 lists and start looking forward to the music that is sure to fill out the year ahead.
There's a lot to be excited about — for everyone, really. Hip-hop heads have a plethora of bangers ahead of them, including the rumored 2009 release of Dr. Dre's "Detox."
Rock fans are also thrilled about the return of U2, while pop lovers have a wealth of goodness to anticipate from some of the biggest names in the game.
If we've learned nothing from the last decade, we know that release dates can (and will) change wildly, but here's our early look at the music that will soon rock your world.

1. U2, "No Line on the Horizon" (March 3). The 12th studio album from these Irish stars comes more than four years after the 9 million-selling "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." The names from the production credits are all too familiar — Danny Lanois, Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite. But while the band did record part of the album in their home base of Dublin, they also globetrotted a bit — to Morocco, New York and London. An early British review (written after a band-sanctioned listening party) said the record comes off like a throwback to 1991's "Achtung Baby."

2. Green Day, TBA (summer). They won't admit it, but staying relevant is always near the top of any veteran band's to-do list. And after a couple lackluster albums, Green Day came back in a booming, relevant way with 2004's "American Idiot," a politically charged record full of punk ragers and anthems that invigorated an uninvolved demographic. It'll be interesting to see what the band comes up with for its next full-length given that America is a drastically different place.

3. Eminem, "Relapse" (spring). Don't call it a comeback, even though that's exactly what it is. The Detroit rapper made his name on lyrics that alternated between the controversial and the confessional, but his last outing, 2004's "Encore," didn't live up to the high standards set by his previous work. Some of the news surrounding "Relapse" is comforting fans: Em's mentor and collaborator, Dr. Dre, is taking a break from his own "Detox" to make "Relapse" a reality.

4. Bruce Springsteen, "Working on a Dream" (Jan. 27). If you enjoyed the Boss' last disc, "Magic," then you'll be excited to know that "Working on a Dream" grew out of those sessions, so much so that "What Love Can Do" was actually recorded amid the "Magic" sessions. "It was a great track," Springsteen recently wrote on his website, "but felt more like a first song of a new record rather than something that would fit on 'Magic.' So our producer Brendan O'Brien said, 'Hey, let's make another one right now!' I thought, no, I haven't done that since my first two records came out in the same year." But then he changed his mind.

5. Jay-Z, "The Blueprint 3" (spring). Nobody really believed Jay-Z was retiring. And this record, helmed by producer Kanye West, will hopefully live up to the success of the previous "Blueprints." Hov has a lot to overcome, as his last two releases, "American Gangster" and "Kingdom Come," have left many followers cold. Jay-Z has one of the best reputations in the game, but he doesn't want to tarnish his status by releasing lackluster albums just because he can.

6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TBA (spring). These Brooklyn kids have surely gained countless new fans via the inclusion of "Maps" on the video game "Rock Band," but it's time for some new music already. They posted a teasing note on their website a couple months ago answering all the questions they've been getting from fans: "Will it sound kind of like 'Show Your Bones?' " No, been there, done that. "What about 'Is Is?' Is that more of the direction it's going in?" Absolutely not, it sounds VERY different from last year's EP.
So what does it sound like? "Not much like anything you've heard from us before."

7. The Fray, "The Fray" (Feb. 3). They're from Colorado, yes, but this record is as anticipated in New York and London as it is in Denver. The Fray's multiplatinum breakthrough, "How to Save a Life," made them stars the world over. This eponymous sophomore record — complete with the already ubiquitous single "You Found Me" — will prove the band's depth. The early reaction to the single, which was performed at the American Music Awards and has already been licensed by ABC to push the upcoming season of "Lost," has been incredibly positive.

8. Lily Allen, "It's Not Me, It's You" (Feb. 10). The sassy U.K. pop star is back with more of her clever ruminations set to straightforward pop production. Allen's not celebrated for her smarts, but her sass makes her a crowd favorite. A sample of her defiant approach to songwriting: "I'm not trying to say that I'm smelling of roses/But when will we tire of putting (stuff) up our noses?"

9. Kelly Clarkson (March 17). Kelly Clarkson's new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," will hit radio in the middle of January — just enough time for it to imbed itself into your brain tissue. Clarkson has one of the strongest voices in pop, and while her radio-ready ballads are popular with the people, we're hoping to see more of her rocker persona ("Behind These Hazel Eyes") or her dance alter-ego ("Since U Been Gone") with this release, which is her fourth.

10. 50 Cent, "Before I Self Destruct" (Feb. 3). You can't correctly judge a CD by its lead single. But all we have from the upcoming 50 release is "Get Up," the aggressively produced lead track. Producer Scott Storch phones it in with this weak beat, which sounds like something DMX turned down 10 years ago. And while 50's delivery resonates with his legions of fans, he's never been known for intelligent rhymes.