Plus: "Sweeney Todd," Jaheim [ tickets ], more

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Mary J. Blige [ tickets ]
"Growing Pains"
(Geffen)

The acclaimed R&B vocalist returns with her ninth studio CD, "Growing Pains," which follows the multi-platinum smash "The Breakthrough." The first two singles from the album are "Just Fine" and "Worth That," the latter of which is being featured in an ad campaign for Apple's iPod.

The new set features guest spins and production work by such hip-hop/R&B stars as Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, Ludacris and Usher.

Many expect that "Growing Pains" will not only debut at the top of the charts, but also continue on to be one of the big sellers of early 2008. Those expectations are consistent with Blige's track record.

The superstar is one of the most successful R&B performers in the business. To date, she's sold more than 40 million CDs and grabbed six Grammy Awards. She's also up for two more trophies at the upcoming Grammy Awards presentation.

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Rivers Cuomo [ tickets ]
"Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo"
(Geffen)

The mastermind behind the indie-rock band Weezer releases a compilation of demos recorded between 1992 and 2007. The 18-track disc includes some cover songs, tunes from the singer-songwriter's unfinished rock musical "Songs From the Black Hole," and the original demo for "Buddy Holly."

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Lupe Fiasco [ tickets ]
"Lupe Fiasco's The Cool"
(Atlantic)

The Chicago rapper, born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, returns with a follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut, last year's "Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor." That debut was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album. Fiasco is also known for appearing on the hit "Touch the Sky" from Kanye West's "Late Registration."

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Original Soundtrack
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
(Nonesuch)

The film adaptation of the hugely successful musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is scheduled to open in theaters on Dec. 21. The big-budget movie stars Johnny Depp ("Pirates of the Caribbean") in the title role and was directed by Tim Burton ("Batman," "The Nightmare Before Christmas"). The soundtrack features the popular songs from the musical, composed by the team of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, including "The Worst Pies in London."

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Jaheim
"The Makings of a Man"
(Atlantic)

The hip-hop star delivers his fourth album, which follows last year's chart-topper "Ghetto Classics." This album--his first not to use "Ghetto" in the title--features the single "Never."

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Original Soundtrack
"Blade Runner Trilogy--25th Anniversary"
(Polydor)

Big fans of director Ridley Scott's highly influential sci-fi flick--and by big fans, we mean really, really huge fans--might want to think about buying the "Blade Runner" anniversary special edition. It's an epic, three-disc set, featuring the complete music from the film--which, reportedly, encompasses more than what was featured on the original soundtrack--and a whole lot of other things that should interest fans. Notably, there are spoken word segments from such luminaries as Scott, Roman Polanski and Oliver Stone.

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Other new releases:
Miguel Bose, "Papitour" (Warner)
Chingy, "Hate It Or Love It" (Disturbing Tha Peace)
Kirk Franklin, "Fight of My Life" (Gospocentric)
Helalyn Flowers, "A Voluntary Coincidence" (Alfa Matrix)
Laura Pausini, "Live in San Siro" (Warner)
Emma Shapplin, "Carmine Meo" (EMI)
Various Artists, "WWE Raw's Greatest Hits" (Sony)
Cristian Vogel, "The Never Engine" (Tresor)
Keller Williams, "12" (Sci Fidelity)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Darfur Now" (Lakeshore)
"Resident Evil: Extinction" (Lakeshore)
"Sweeney Todd Soundtrack Highlights" (Nonesuch)
"There Will Be Blood" (Warner)