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Washington, D.C., rapper Wale has generated underground buzz aplenty these past few years. But "Chillin," the lead single from his debut album, "Attention Deficit," left us cold. Surely he could do better than sampling Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye" and tapping Lady GaGa to imitate M.I.A. And he has. Musically, these 14 selections incorporate '70s Afro-funk ("Triumph"), vintage soul mixed with go-go ("Pretty Girls"), sinewy, barely-there electronic squiggles ("Let It Loose") and much more. His mix of producers is equally eclectic: TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Cool & Dre, the Neptunes, Green Lantern, and Mark Ronson. There are plenty of prominent cameos, too, including K'naan, Chrisette Michele, Jazmine Sullivan, and Pharrell. But this is definitely Wale's show, and one worth tuning in to.

What goes around comes around. In a recent issue of Rolling Stone, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora likened the current economic climate to the tail end of the '80s, when Ronald Reagan's economic policies began faltering. Likewise, on "The Circle," the New Jersey rockers return to the sort of uplifting, working-class arena rock that initially brought them fame during Ronnie's administration, and move away from the Nashville influence of their previous full-length, "Lost Highway." Speaking of highways: Having racked up the No. 1 grossing tour of 2008, Bon Jovi will return to the road in 2010, with two years worth of shows in 30 countries already lined up, including a residency at London's O2 Arena.

Poor Britney Spears is running out of ways to seem racy. First there was the hooked-on-phonics naughtiness of "If U Seek Amy." And her latest smash, "3," is so mechanical it makes threesomes sound pretty ménage a blah. Nevertheless, the infectious ditty, another creation by evil Swedish genius Max Martin (Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Pink), entered the pop charts at No. 1, the first record by any artist to do so in three years. However, if you've downloaded that song already, buying "The Singles Collection" seems redundant; there's nothing else new here, although the inclusion of recent hits like "Womanizer" and "Piece of Me" makes it a much stronger retrospective than 2004's "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative."

Who says Latin is a dead language? Not Flyleaf. The sophomore set from the Texas modern rock quintet is entitled "Memento Mori," a Latin expression that translates roughly as "remember you will die." Which is a backward way of summarizing the album's message to live life to its fullest. "Each day is a new beginning," says guitarist Sameer Bhattacharya. "It's never too late to become the kind of superhero you imagined you'd be when you were a kid." Singer and lyricist Lacey Mosley has one of those love-it-or-hate-it voices, a la Alanis Morissette. Yet it's hard to deny the melodramatic appeal of these 13 new selections, produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach, All-American Rejects).

Like Flyleaf, Switchfoot has enjoyed terrific success in the contemporary Christian market. But please don't pigeonhole the San Diego five-piece. New tunes like "Needle and Haystack Life" and "The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" are polished, radio-friendly alt-rock comparable to U2 and Jane's Addiction, respectively. Those are just two highlights from "Hello Hurricane," their seventh full-length. Even if this collection of new tunes, produced by Dr. Dre and Eminem affiliate Mike Elizondo, isn't your cup of tea, you still have to admire Switchfoot's good intentions: Throughout their current North American tour, which concludes Dec. 9 in Boston, the band is conducting a canned food drive.
Listen to "Hello Hurricane" in the Listening Booth

Wyclef Jean is quite the humanitarian, too. Over the years, the Haitian-American hip-hop star has gone to great lengths to assist the people of his native country, via his Yéle Haiti charity. That cultural heritage also colored the material on "From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion," a new concept record on which he assumes the role of Toussaint St. Jean, a character inspired by an 18th century revolutionary. His comrades-in-arms include Eve, Timbaland, and Cyndi Lauper, plus T.I.'s right-hand man, producer DJ Drama. Although "From the Hut" features 13 selections, it is billed as an EP; a new, self-titled Wyclef album is slated for release next spring.