This week’s not a typical new release week. Why? Because this week’s releases came out on Monday as opposed to Tuesday. So, our column’s late, and you may have very well purchased one or more of this week’s new albums already. So while this column might be giving you information you already know, hopefully you still find it quite enjoyable!

Have you read our reviews of Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ I’m With You yet? You should. Even though Drew didn’t particularly care for either album, he explains himself in great detail. While I certainly wasn’t expecting anything from Weezy (and believe me, we’re not the only folks giving TC4 bad reviews), I was hoping that a five-year sabbatical (and a change in guitarists) would breathe some new life into RHCP. Having only heard first single “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” a few short days ago (and realizing that I liked it a lot more than I thought I would), I had a copy of the album in my hand and almost bought it today before having second thoughts. If anyone out there can convince me that putting it back on the rack was the wrong decision, please let me know.

Those are certainly not the only two albums out this week. Lenny Kravitz is back with a new album called Black and White America. The front cover of the album features a cute pic of kid Lenny, and the music stays true to Lenny’s signature mix of rock and funk. Jay-Z and Drake are along for the ride, and Lenny’s on a new label (Roadrunner-home of Nickelback). I’m anticipating giving the album a listen-although the fact that there are 16 tracks worries me a bit. 16 tracks is too much of just about anyone. For someone like Lenny-whose recorded output has been quite inconsistent-this just might be overkill.

Another of Popblerd’s favorites? Mike Doughty. Singer-songwriter-DJ-musician-soon to be author…is there anything the man can’t do? Yes and Also Yes is the name of his latest solo effort, and not only will we have a review of it up shortly, but we were able to snag an interview with the man himself! Check the site out later today to find out what Mike is willing to discuss with us.

One of my earliest memories as a kid is seeing Glen Campbell performing “Rhinestone Cowboy” on TV. I won’t profess to know much about the music Campbell has made since then, but I was saddened to hear that Glen has been struck by Alzheimer’s disease. He is currently embarking on a “farewell” tour (there’s a really good article in Entertainment Weekly about him and it this week), and what I assume will be his final album, Ghost on The Canvas, is released today. He’s joined on the release schedule by French producer/DJ David Guetta, whose Nothing But The Beat album features appearances from Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Akon and Nicki MInaj. Also on the release schedule; new records by Cobra Starship, Edwin McCain, alterna-hipster favorites Beirut, and one of my early Nineties alterna-crushes, Juliana Hatfield (who, like many artists of her era, has gone the Fanbridge route and directly appealed to her fans to fund the release of her new album.)

The reissue slate includes the WTF? 20th anniversary edition of Spin Doctors’ Pocket Full of Kryptonite, revised “Essentials” entries from the likes of Meat Loaf and Celine Dion, a live set from Counting Crows, and a set of unreleased material from Jill Scott.

Of course, make sure you check out Pause and Play for a full list of this week’s releases as well as a listing of future releases.