Plus: Derek Trucks [ tickets ], Teddy Thompson [ tickets ], more.

The Arctic Monkeys [ tickets ]
"Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"
(Domino)

Some industry insiders, perhaps ones who haven't paid attention to the often iffy track records posted by British bands on these shores, are expecting the Sheffield-based Artic Monkeys to burn up the US charts with their debut CD.

Still, it's easy to understand why people are expecting big things from this punk-inspired alt-pop quartet--especially given the type of numbers it's quickly posted. For starters, the band's first single, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor," debuted at No. 1 on the UK singles chart back in October.

That nicely set the stage for the full-length debut "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not," which was released last month in the UK. The disc debuted at No. 1 on the UK album charts and sold more than 100,000 in its first day of release--which, reportedly, was more than the rest of the Top 20 combined.

Ray Davies [ tickets ]
"Other People's Lives"
(V2)

Davies hasn't done much in recent years to support the widely held belief that he ranks as one of the best songwriters in rock-and-roll history. It's been some 13 years since The Kinks' last studio record (1993's "Phobia") and Davies has only had two full-lengths credited to him as a solo artist over the years--1985's "Return to Waterloo" and 1998's "The Storyteller."

Arguably, however, "Other People's Lives" is Davies' first real full-length solo album, given that "Waterloo" featured other Kinks members and "Storyteller" was comprised of Kinks songs. The 61-year-old rock icon did release a five-song EP, entitled "Thanksgiving Day," back in November. All net proceeds raised by the EP benefited New Orleans music education programs.

Eels [ tickets ]
"With Strings: Live at Town Hall"
(Vagrant)

The Eels' "With Strings" tour was one of the most celebrated club outings of 2005. Most critics cheered at bandleader E's ability to make his guitar-rich indie-pop masterpieces work in such a drastically different environment. The concerts were filled with cleverly re-arranged takes on such familiar fan favorites as "Losing Streak," "Bus Stop Boxer," "Rock Hard Times," "Dirty Girl" and "Novocaine for the Soul."

The Derek Trucks Band
"Songlines"
(Sony)

The 26-year-old guitarist, who balances his time between performing with the Allman Brothers and leading his own band, returns with his first record since 2004's "Live at Georgia Theatre" and his first studio effort since 2003's "Soul Serenade."

On this record, the young six-stringer--who is a particularly fine slide guitarist--covers tunes by the likes of O.V. Wright, Toots Hibbert and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. "Songlines" also features vocals by Mike Mattison.

Teddy Thompson
"Separate Ways"
(Verve)

The only son of legendary folk duo Richard and Linda Thompson enlisted plenty of friends for his long overdue sophomore effort. "Separate Ways" features guest appearances by Martha and Rufus Wainwright, Jenni Muldaur and Garth Hudson.

Thompson first came into prominence in the late '90s when he contributed backing vocals on his dad's CDs "You, Me, Us?" and "Mock Tudor." He released his self-titled debut in 2000.

Other new releases:
Chet Atkins, "Chet Atkins with the Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle 1949" (Country Routes)
Cascada, "Everytime We Touch" (Robbins)
Coldcut, "Sound Mirrors" (Ninja Tune)
John Coltrane, "Live in Paris" (Passport)
Cowboy Mouth, "Voodoo Shoppe" (Eleven Thirty)
Phil Coulter, "Country Serenity" (Shanachie)
Evans Blue, "The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume" (Hollywood)
Janis Ian, "Folk is the New Black" (Cooking Vinyl)
Bob James, "Urban Flamingo" (Koch)
Tim Janis, "Coastal America" (TJE)
The Lashes, "Get It" (Red Ink)
Maysa, "Sweet Classic Soul" (Shanachie)
Willie Nile, "Streets of New York" (Reincarnate)
William Orbit, "Hello Waveforms" (Sanctuary)
Kidz Bop Kids, "Kids Bop 9" (Razor & Tie)
Charlie Parker, "Charlie Parker 1952-1954" (Classics)
Robinella, "Solace for the Lonely" (Dualtone)
John Stewart, "The Day the River Sang" (Appleseed)
Pat Travers, "Power Trio 2" (Blues Bureau)
Robin Trower, "Living Out of Time" (Ruf)