By:

Staff

Each week, we preview a handful of notable albums scheduled to hit the shelves, plus offer a full list of the current new releases.

Pitbull

The Boatlift

TVT

The Boatlift was once slated to be an en espanol album, but it seems now to venture into familiar waters. Guests include past collaborators such as Lil' Jon and Twista, as well as new but rather unsurprising names such as T-Pain and Trina liven up the party. The Boatlift may not complete the homeward-looking party of 2006's El Mariel, but it'll still be another rager. ~Dan Nishimoto

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Artist: http://www.pitbullmusic.com/

Label: http://www.tvtrecords.com/

Audio: http://myspace.com/pitbull 

The Rumble Strips

Alarm Clock

Kanine

Here's one you might have heard before: "Band generates buzz in its native U.K., then tries to conquer the United States." But just because that's cliche doesn't mean you shouldn't give the boys in Rumble Strips a chance. The quick line on the band is that it's punk with brass. As such, it's no surprise that the group has toured with the likes of the Zutons. This six-track EP includes a cover of the Thin Lizzy classic "The Boys are Back in Town." ~John Zeiss

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Band: http://www.therumblestrips.com/

Label: http://www.kaninerecords.com/

Audio: http://www.myspace.com/rumblestripsuk

Various Artists

Through the Wilderness: A Tribute to Madonna

Manimal Vinyl

After all these years, Madonna Louise Ciccone has achieved an iconic status in America that's on par with, if quite different from, Bob Dylan's. So maybe it's not so odd to find a bunch of artists you might expect to be covering Dylan reworking the music of Madonna. Those include Lavender Diamond doing "Like a Prayer," the Chapin Sisters doing "Borderline," Giant Drag doing "Oh Father," and Ariel Pink doing "Everybody." Other artists covering Madge on Through the Wilderness include Winter Flowers and the Tyde. A vinyl edition of the album, with a different track list and artwork, is slated for a January 28 release. Some of the proceeds from sales of the record will go to Madonna's Raising Malawi charity. ~John Zeiss

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Album: http://www.myspace.com/throughthewilderness

Label: http://www.manimalvinyl.com/