• After a four-year hiatus, St. Louis rapper Nelly delivers his fifth album, Brass Knuckles. The Village Voice says he's playing second fiddle to his guests, "many of whom, uncomfortably enough, have eclipsed their host in the public consciousness (Fergie, Rick Ross)." The Boston Globe thinks he waited too long: "Four years is a long time to be gone. The market he had essentially cornered since 2000 was in middle school the last time he released a record."
• Girl-power pop combo Pussycat Dolls deliver their sophomore effort, Doll Domination, a "collection of electro-pop songs that are the opposite of sex: belligerent come-ons and odes to singledom stripped of pleasure, adventure or anything resembling fun," according to the Los Angeles Times. "After the inexplicable 'failure' of Nicole's solo album … it was smart to spotlight the, uh, talents of the other pussycats this go 'round," observes Slant Magazine.
• Atlanta's T.I. drops Paper Trail, an album in which he "mostly dispenses with the Tupac-wannabe gangsta-confessor pretensions to deliver catchy, tight, bombastic pop-rap," according to Rolling Stone. T.I. finds the "perfect balance of comedy and tragedy, swagger and humble attitude, pop music and hardcore hip-hop," and "[lives] up to the nickname 'Jay-Z of the South' in a big way," gushes webzine Rap Reviews.
• New York rap-rockers Gym Class Heroes return with their fourth album, The Quilt, a "misguided effort to be taken seriously as a hip-hop band," according to Entertainment Weekly. "It's the kind of benign mall music that's likely to be played ad nauseam at trendy chains like Wet Seal and Forever 21 while tweens shop for colored denim and leggings." Spin magazine agrees: "These dudes … are the Black Eyed Peas of the Warped tour set."
• R&B newcomer Jazmine Sullivan flexes her songwriting skills on her debut, Fearless, an album "just two songs shy of being a benchmark classic in the annals of music history," proclaims Soul Tracks. "Sullivan may be just 21, but the singer-songwriter proves herself a veteran in the game of love," declares Billboard.com. Sullivan's vocals are "perfection," raves Vibe magazine.

Long Beach Polytechnic High School graduate Lupillo Rivera brings the banda out. Entre Copas y Botellas contains instant classic corridos like "Barrio Pobre," "El Galletero" and the title track. The Mexican-born Rivera is more popular in the U.S. than with his paisanos back home. More of a folk idol than a pop idol, the often controversial Rivera has become a commercial powerhouse by singing la mera verdad to his fanbase on topics like poverty, migrant dreams y, claro, amor.

Chilean rockers Los Tres have reunited after a six-year break and this week release their ninth album, Hagalo Usted Mismo (Do It Yourself or DIY). The group may not be popular with the kids but they're very popular with some of the world's most famous Latin rockers. The band's lead singer Alvaro Enriquez was briefly married to Mexican pop rocker Julieta Venegas and the band's songs have been covered by Cafe Tacuba. Their comeback album was recorded in New York City and produced by Joey Blaney (The Ramones, The Clash and Charly García).

Janet Jackson wants to turn back the clock 20 years with her new album 20 Y.O., revisiting the sounds of her most successful album, 1986's Control. Like, literally. Her new record was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the same team responsible for the multi-platinum success of "Control" as well as other '80s faves like New Edition and The Human League. Joining Janet on this trip back to the future are Kanye West, Khia, Nelly and Kwame.

Corny, retro, futuristic but always cool, Los Amigos Invisibles present their fifth album Super Pop Venezuela. The release has 18 tracks of mostly Spanish-language dance jams right on the edge between "WTF?" and "My parents would really like this." Split the difference on their web site where you can listen to the entire album. If the name Dimitri From Paris means something to you, check out the title track first.