Summer's 10 biggest albums

Usher Looking 4 Myself

With Looking‘s first two singles — the silk-sheets R&B ballad ”Climax” and the straight-up strobe-light banger ”Scream” — Usher continues his bid to rule more than one side of the charts. Though considering guest producers like Diplo and Swedish House Mafia, his strongest card may still be the King of Clubs. June 12

Justine Bieber Believe
Call it Bieber: The Timberlake Years. The now-18-year-old seems to be following the post–tween-dreamboat path of his first-namesake on the simmering, evolved lead single ”Boyfriend”; guest spots from the likes of Kanye, Lil Wayne, and Drake also signal Biebs’ aim to start rolling with the big boys. June 19

Kenny Chesney Welcome to the Fishbowl

His topics (beach bars, small-town sports teams) may be modest, but the country goliath of summer tours builds his anthems to fill stadiums. For his 13th studio album, that means bigger guitars and bigger britches: On the Tim McGraw duet ”Feel Like a Rock Star,” Chesney sounds like he knows he already is one. June 19

Linkin Park Living Things

The electro-sprawl of 2010’s A Thousand Suns rankled many of the band’s longtime followers, and the sensitive metallers aren’t immune to criticism; they promise that their fifth album, co-helmed by Rick Rubin, will focus on self- loathing epics that all the goateed boys can bang around to. June 26

Cris Brown Fortune

Until some future Nobel Prize winner is able to give Breezy a personality transplant, we’ll have to take his follow-up to last year’s Grammy-winning F.A.M.E. for what it is: the smooth intersection of R&B, rap, and thumpy dance-floor rave-ups. July 3

Zac Brown Band Uncaged

The jammiest beardos in country expand their sound with the permanent addition of touring percussionist Daniel de los Reyes. That extra rhythmic jolt should inspire the invention of new dances you can do on an amphitheater lawn or from the seat of a pickup. July 10

2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story

If you feel like the rising Atlanta rapper’s been a guest on a thousand tracks lately, you’re not wrong. Chainz’ hotly awaited studio debut cashes in those favors by luring flashy cameos from top-brass talent like Kanye, Rick Ross, and Ludacris. Aug. 14

Wiz Khalifa O.N.I.F.C.

This summer, the pride of Pittsburgh brings his second set of speaker rattlers, with production help from Benny Blanco (Katy Perry, Britney Spears). Guests include Chris Brown, Pharrell Williams, the Weeknd, and whoever else dropped by to share his rolling papers. August TBA

Nelly Furtado The Spirit Indestructible

The last time we heard from Nelly, she was releasing an album en español (2009’s Mi Plan) and being a mom. Based on Spirit‘s stomping lead single ”Big Hoops (Bigger the Better),” though, the mid-aughties chart habitué is getting back to her pop roots for the first time since 2006’s multiplatinum chart monster Loose. Date TBA

Fiona Apple The Idler Wheel…

Seven years have passed since her last album, and 16 since her breakout debut (yes, you’re old). But judging by the new songs that Apple bowed at SXSW in March — the jazzy art-rocker “Anything We Want” and the fiery piano ballad “Every Single Night” — her June 19 return will be worth the wait.