The LA Times Music Preview

Here's a good preview of all the CDs due out between now and June. My most anticipated:

Teddy Thompson's "Separate Ways" (which they don't mention)
The Arctic Monkeys (Feb 27)
Nick Cave's score for "The Proposition" (Feb 27)
Elvis Costello's live concert with a jazz orchestra (Feb 28)
Donald Fagen's "Morph The Cat" (March 7)
Outkast's "Idlewild" soundtrack (March 7)
Kris Kristofferson's "This Old Road," with Don Was; first CD in a decade (March 7)
Stephen Merritt's "Showtunes" (March 14)
Willie Nelson tribute album to songwriter Cindy Walker (March 14)
Sparks -- "Hello Young Lovers" (March 21)
LL Cool J's return to Def Jam (March 21)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs' second album "Show Your Bones" (March 28)
Maxwell's new soul album (April 4)
The Vines' hopefully post-drug abuse comeback "Vision Valley" (April 4)
British rapper The Streets' "The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living (April 11)
Elefant's "The Black Magic Show" (April 18)
Dixie Chicks more rock than country (April 25)
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris duets album (April 25)
John Mayer's "Continuum" -- what will his blues outing do to his pop? (May)
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint -- "The River In Reverse" (May)
The Raconteurs -- side project with Jack White and Brendan Benson (May)
Scissor Sisters -- (May 16)
Nellie McKay's Sony-dumped "Pretty Little Head" (TBA)
Prince -- "3121" (TBA)
Paul Simon's "Surprise," a collaboration with Brian Eno, who always brings out the best in people (TBA)