Top 10 Albums To Watch For In the Summer of 2012

Usher is one of the most successful male pop and R&B artists of all time. His last three studio albums all reached #1 including the 10 million selling Confessions. Usher has reached the top 10 of the pop singles chart 14 different times as lead artist. Nine of those hits have gone all the way to #1. On Looking 4 Myself, his seventh studio album, he plans to explore more of the genre he calls "Revolutionary Pop," a blend of mainstream pop, R&B, and dance music sounds. The singles "Climax" and "Scream" have already reached the top 20 on the singles chart.

It has been more than six years since Extraordinary Machine, the last album from critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Fiona Apple. Her first three solo albums have all landed in the top 20 of the album chart and two are certified platinum. The full title of this album is the amazingly long, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do. Fiona Apple has said that she recorded the album mostly without the record company knowing so that she would not have someone looking over her shoulder while she worked. The new collection includes the single "Every Single Night."

Three years after he first hit the charts with the single "One Time," 18 year old Justin Bieber has become one of the biggest teen pop stars of all time. He has landed at #1 on the album chart three times. Justin Bieber has reached the top 20 of the singles chart eight different times. Believe features a wide range of collaborators including Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Ludacris. The album includes the #2 pop hit single "Boyfriend."

Linkin Park's debut album Hybrid Theory, released in 2000, reached #2 and has been certified diamond for sales in excess of 10 million copies. All three studio albums since have reached #1. The group rank as one of the biggest alternative artists of all time with 10 #1 hits. Living Things is Linkin Park's third album working with Rick Rubin. It includes the top 30 pop hit single "Burn It Down."

With an assist from lead singer Adam Levine appearing on the hit TV show The Voice, Maroon 5 have experienced a powerful return to the top ranks of the most commercially successful pop artists. The single "Moves Like Jagger" hit #1 and was certified four times platinum. "Payphone," the first release from Overexposed, debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #3 and has peaked so far at #2. Adam Levine says that Overexposed will be the group's "poppiest" album yet.

Controversy continues to surround Chris Brown, but that hasn't slowed his artistic output or commercial success. Fortune is his fifth studio collection and conceived as a follow up to F.A.M.E., his first #1 album. Fortune has already generated the top 10 pop hit "Turn Up the Music." Look for more efforts at blending dance music with R&B.

Despite having released seven top 10 pop hit singles, all of them certified platinum, Flo Rida has never had significant success selling albums. Wild Ones is his fourth studio release. Among the expected featured artists are Jennifer Lopez, Redfoo of LMFAO, and Lil Wayne. The album will include the top 5 pop hit singles "Good Feeling" and the title cut.

Ranking as the top new artist of 2011, Wiz Khalifa has generated a significant amount of interest for his upcoming second official album. He has three top 10 pop hit singles to his credit as a lead artist, and "Work Hard, Play Hard," the first official single from O.N.I.F.C., has reached the top 20.

Alanis Morissette has seen big changes in her personal life since the release of her last studio album Flavors of Entanglement four years ago. She is now married and has given birth to a child. Havoc and Bright Lights is expected to have an upbeat outlook in the songs. Rolling Stone has reported that nearly every song has a "monster chorus." The first single "Guardian," a top 40 adult pop hit, is included on the album.

The Spirit Indestructible marks a return to English language recording for Nelly Furtado following her 2009 Spanish language release Mi Plan. She has said the sound of her new album will be most similar to the sound of her first, the huge pop breakthrough release Whoa, Nelly! that featured the top 10 hits "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light." Nelly Furtado says her primary inspiration is joy. The top 40 pop radio hit "Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)" is included on the album.