Phish 'Big Boat' (JEMP; Oct. 7)
The follow-up to 2014's 'Fuego' finds the indie jam titans reteaming with that album's producer, Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, KISS, Pink Floyd) for their 13th studio album. Each member contributed songs this time and most have been road-tested and embraced by one of the most critical but faithful audiences in music. (Message to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: In the name of all that is good and right, hurry up and induct these guys, will ya?)
Beck - (Title TBA) (Capitol; Oct. 21)
Beck has been cooking this record for a while. He teased his 13th (and - as of this writing - untitled) album a few months back with the jerky, hip-hoppy 'Wow' and says he actually starting working on it three years ago before 2014's 'Morning Glory' was finished. With co-production by hit-maker Greg Kurstin (Adele, Lana Del Ray, Katy Perry, Sia), Beck says they've crafted a record of celebration.
Michael Bubl 'Nobody But Me'(Reprise Records; Oct 21)
On his ninth album, Bubl tackles classics from Gershwin, Noble, Mercer, Wilson (as in Brian) and Trainor/Styles (as in Meghan and Harry). The singer, who co-wrote two of the tracks, says he's never had this much fun recording a record.
Rascal Flatts 'The Greatest Gift Of All' (Big Machine; Oct. 21)
Like clockwork, the Ohio-formed trio keeps up their schedule of releasing a new record every two years. As of this writing, details about this 10th studio album are scant, but considering the title and time of release, I'd bank on a Christmas record.
Jimmy Buffett 'Tis The Season' (Mailboat Records; Oct. 28)
Seeing Jimmy Buffett standing on a surfboard in a Santa suit with two nervous-looking puppies wearing furry reindeer antlers really makes me not want to listen to his second Christmas album (the first was issued in 1996). He would be better served writing an album of great new Jimmy Buffett songs, recorded with the Coral Reefer Band. It would sell five times more than this.
Kenny Chesney 'Cosmic Hallelujah' (Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville; Oct. 28)
Nearly 25 years into a career that somehow keeps getting bigger, Chesney mixes it up on his 17th studio album. 'Noise' was the teaser released last spring. A duet with P!NK - 'Setting The World on Fire' - was issued in late July.
Sting '57th & 9th' (A&M; Nov. 11)
Ten years later, Sting is still taking heat for his 'lute album' ('Songs from the Labyrinth'), so any apprehension you may feel regarding a new Sting release is understandable. For his 12th studio album, he assembled a good band - including his touring guitarist and drummer - and wrote the material with them, in the studio, just before it was recorded. Oh, and he promises that it rocks. (Then again, he promised we'd like that frickin' lute record.)
Metallica 'Hardwired to Self-Destruct' (Blackened Recordings; Nov 18)
For their first album of new material in more than eight years, the metal stalwarts started recording with Rick Rubin in 2011 and finished this year with Greg Fidelman. Two discs, 12 songs and more than 80 minutes of new Metallica will be unleashed just before Thanksgiving. The title track was released last month and performed live for the first time on August 20.
