Bandmates Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer stir up a gallon of instrumental sweat alongside, making this a promising new performance vehicle for Aerosmith, which just launched a gargantuan North American tour with Motley Crue. These guys know how to punch hits home, thematically, melodically and with irresistible attitude. Thirty years in, Aerosmith maintains a devil of a hip factor.

ARTIST: JEWEL

SINGLE: GOOD DAY

The second single from Jewel's effervescent "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" shows yet another side of the versatile folk/pop/rocker, with an autobiographical yet identifiable lyric about searching out the positive in our daily lives. "Good Day" opens with a feather-light vocal musing of dissatisfaction ("It's nice to see people can be/More messed up than me") before Jewel decides at the chorus, "It's gonna be alright/No matter what they say/It's gonna be a good day," with melodic guns blazing. The song is accompanied by a clever "Wizard of Oz"-esque black-and-white-to-color videoclip (thanks, YouTube) that could help bring mass-appeal triumph to this track. Meanwhile, clubs are having their own party with new mixes of CD track "Only One Too."

ARTIST: KT TUNSTALL

SINGLE: OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

Scottish songstress KT Tunstall, who first charmed us with her smoky voice, edgy guitar riffs and novel blend of alt-rock and blues, surprises fans with a softer side. Latest single "Other Side of the World" is a beautifully crafted ballad that truly demonstrates her multidimensional talent. Influenced by the challenges of long-distance relationships, the heartfelt track is a natural for radio, with a reflective lyric tied to an effortless hook and sympathetic production.

ARTIST: BOWLING FOR SOUP

SINGLE: HIGH SCHOOL NEVER ENDS

Frat band Bowling for Soup, which hit party pay dirt with 2004's "1985," returns with another madcap anthem about how the same petty rules that made high school miserable for most carry on in the real world. Set to a frantic beat and sing-songy rhymes, Soup's lyric is utterly cunning, while being frighteningly spot-on: "Reese Witherspoon, she's the prom queen/Bill Gates, captain of the chess team/Jack Black, the clown/Brad Pitt, the quarterback/ Still care about your hair or the car you drive/Doesn't matter if you're 16 or 35." Set somewhere between Simple Plan and Toni Basil's "Mickey," this song is as catchy as it is universal.

ARTIST: UNDEROATH

SINGLE: IN REGARDS TO MYSELF

A crimp was put in the glory of Underoath's No. 2 debut on The Billboard 200 this summer when the band pulled out of the Vans Warped tour due to personnel issues. Now it's refocusing on promoting latest album "Define the Great Line," with the release of second single "In Regards to Myself." Coincidentally (or maybe not), the song is one of the more chaotic and dischordant on the record, and some of its lyric could have come straight out of Underoath's recent drama: "Get it off your chest," singer Spencer Chamberlain shouts. "There's gotta be some stable ground/We have to walk on." This track is high-quality, but it sounds like a lot of other metal-core out there. Underoath followers will just be grateful for a sign that the band remains intact.

ARTIST: ROCK STAR: SUPERNOVA

SINGLE: IT'S ALL LOVE

Seconds after announcing Lukas Rossi as the victor on the second season of CBS' wildly entertaining "Rock Star: Supernova" reality pageant, the supergroup's first single is out for public consumption. Viewers already recognize that the band is designed to reach the masses and its first single, while convincingly gritty, is also melodic and mainstream enough to appeal to the harder side of adult top 40 as well as rock formats. These days, radio seldom has the courage to break new acts without other media staging the groundwork. "Rock Star: Supernova" was a top 10 TV show and the "judges" already have a dedicated fan base, so millions have bought in. Album due November 21.

ARTIST: JOHNTA AUSTIN

SINGLE: TURN IT UP

Having co-written songs for Mary J. Blige ("Be Without You"), Mariah Carey ("We Belong Together") and Tyrese ("Sweet Lady"), among others, Johnta Austin already proved he's adept with a pen. Though his voice is not as exceptional as some, he finds ways to make it sound good while his lyric does much of the talking. The silky Jermaine Dupri-helmed single "Turn It Up," from Austin's debut album, "Ocean Drive," finds him paying homage to the sensual music of artists like R. Kelly ("bump and grind to R. Kel's") and Usher ("I know you need it nice and slow"), while weaving his harmonic Atlanta twang (including a swiftly delivered rap verse) between the song's clean chords. Though not a clear-cut hit, "Turn It Up" should turn heads.

ARTIST: DONELL JONES

SINGLE: OH NA NA

"Oh Na Na" is another buttery smooth groove by one of R&B's most consistent vocalists. This baby-making slow jam -- the third single from Donell Jones' recent "Journey of a Gemini" -- should be popular with the urban contemporary crowd. Aside from a few indigestible lyrics ("Girl I can't wait to taste your hypnotic"), the singer takes a pleasant spin on a cliched subject -- pleasing a woman -- by molding his cavernous vocals well with the rhythm. Yes, any R&B crooner could make "Oh Na Na" hum, but Jones does it oh so well.

Reuters/Billboard

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