Everyone who's anyone in music is releasing albums in 2007. Even Guns N' Roses.

Norah Jones's albums are so mellow they should come packaged with eye pillows. If Jones's new single, "Thinking About You," is anything to go by, then third album "Not Too Late" will be dominated by the melodic hush she's best known for.

"This is her first album where it's all original material – I don't think she does any covers this time – and it's also her first without [producer] Arif Mardin, who died last year," says Mr. Farber.

Country star Gretchen Wilson is eager for a reappraisal. "Her second album was considered a bit of a disappointment, critically and certainly commercially," says Entertainment Weekly music writer Chris Willman. "It was perceived that she played 'the red neck card' a little too much on that album. I've heard that the third album is going to have more ballads ... and not so many party anthems."

This is a year of several bold risks. For instance, Bryan Ferry has cut an album of Bob Dylan covers called "Dylanesque."

News that Robert Plant is in Nashville making a country record may bring back bad memories of Led Zeppelin's "Hot Dog," a twangy pastiche that was one of the supergroup's rare missteps. (Well, that and the Stonehenge stage props.) Fear not. The singer is making a duets album with Alison Krauss. Moreover, the duo has hired producer T-Bone Burnett to conjure a haunting, rootsy sound.

Sheryl Crow is also making a country record. "When I talked to her at the Country Music Awards, she said she's really going to go for it," says Mr. Willman. "She was due to go in and start recording it at her home studio in Nashville last month."

Among this year's comeback kids – well, maybe not kids – are Joni Mitchell, Rush, John Mellencamp, and America, all staples of classic rock who've not released albums in many years. Neo-soul singer Maxwell, AWOL since 2001, re-appers with "Black Summer's Night." The big voice of Toni Childs is back with "Keep the Faith," her first album in 13 years. Bluegrass legend Charlie Louvin's first disc in over a decade includes guest spots from Jeff Tweedy [of Wilco], Elvis Costello, and George Jones. New material is also due from two reformed bands: The Smashing Pumpkins and The (now three) Stooges. The latter's original members Iggy Pop (vocals), Scott Asheton (drums), and Ron Asheton (guitar) are joined on bass by fIREHOSE's Mike Watt.

Finally, there's one comeback that everyone is eyeing. Guns N' Roses' much delayed "Chinese Democracy," the band's first album of original songs since 1991, is supposedly due March 6. But is the bloom off Axl Rose? No, says Billboard's Cohen.

"Just based on how evergreen their greatest hits album has been in the past year, that's gotta be multiplatinum," he says. "It'll be pretty hard to miss."

• New releases are also expected from John Anderson, Big & Rich, David Bowie, Bright Eyes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Cure, Doves, Fall Out Boy, Neil Finn, Tim Finn, PJ Harvey, Michael Jackson, The Kaiser Chiefs, Linkin Park, Massive Attack, Tim McGraw, Modest Mouse, Oasis, Radiohead, Tracey Thorne, Travis, Velvet Revolver, and Lucinda Williams.

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