Sound Check: Kelis, Ike Turner

February 16, 2001 -- DUELING SIDE BANDS: Nine Inch Nails main man Trent Reznor plans to release an album with longtime side project Tapeworm this fall, according to Nothing Records. Band members Charlie Clouser, Danny Lohner, and Reznor are joined by guests, such as Tool singer Maynard James Keenan — who's been performing a Tapeworm song, "Vacant," with his own side band, A Perfect Circle.

SWEDISH SWEATERS: Nina Persson, singer for Swedish pop rock act the Cardigans, is looking for a label to release solo material, with a country music vibe, she's been preparing for years, according to Billboard. Though band member Peter Svensson is also working on a side project, the band is staying together.

NEW REVUE: Rock legend Ike Turner, who led the influential Ike and Tina Turner Revue, is planning a May 22 release for his first album since 1978. Here and Now, from IKON/Bottled Majic, will feature mostly new songs, as well as a new recording of seminal 1951 rock song "Rocket 88."

SNOOP & BROTHERS: Snoop Dogg will contribute a new song, "Hi 2 U," to the soundtrack for upcoming comedy The Brothers, according to Warner Bros. Records. Also contributing songs are R&B singers Eric Benét,, Dave Hollister, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, and father-son team Eddie Levert Sr. and Gerald Levert. The album's due March 20, three days before the movie is set to open.

SOLO CRASH TEST: The Crash Test Dummies will release a new album — I Don't Care That You Don't Mind — on April 3 through singer Brad Roberts' label, Cha-Ching Records. Though not all the original band members are on the album, keyboardist Ellen Reid and bassist Dan Roberts contribute.

MONKEY ON THE LOOSE: Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland is set to release the debut album of his side project, Big Dumb Face. Duke Lion Fights the Terror — due March 6 from Fred Durst's Geffen imprint, Flawless — features Borland's brother Scott, a drummer named "Joe Couch," and a singer called "The Three Headed Dementrian Pup."

CAT FIGHT: Foxy Brown is recording material for a follow-up to 1999's Chyna Doll, and Lil' Kim better stay sharp as Brown will address their ongoing rivalry in song, according to MTV. The album, scheduled to arrive in June on Def Jam, is not yet titled, but will feature "Oh Yeah" as the first single.

DOUBLE PANIC: Widespread Panic singer-keyboardist JoJo Hermann will release his first solo album, Smiling Assassin, on April 10 through Fat Possum Records. Two band mates make guest appearances on the album — but the whole band will appear on a still-untitled studio album — the band's first with Sanctuary Records — sometime in June.

THAT'S kuh-LEES: R&B singer Kelis is mixing her second album, Wonderland, and aims to release it this summer. The "Caught Out There" singer is working, once again, with production duo the Neptunes (Noreaga, Ol' Dirty Bastard), who plan to release their own debut album, In Search Of …, this summer, according to NME.

MORE SAUCE: Bluesy rockers G. Love & Special Sauce are planning an April 24 release for their fifth album on Epic Records, The Electric Mile. Guests on the album include Ras from the Long Beach Dub Allstars, Morphine drummer Billy Conway, and keyboardist John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood.

BLUE SCENE: Brit rock act Ocean Colour Scene has completed work on Mechanical Wonder, a new album recorded in London, due this spring on MCA Records. The 11-song album will feature "Up on the Downside" as its first single.

TRICKY TOOLS: Hard rock act Tool no longer plans to call its upcoming album — the first since 1996's Ænima — Systema Encéphale. The group has switched the name to Lateralus and also published a new listing of song titles on its Web site (toolband.com). The album's still due April 17, however.

OUT OF CONTROL: Producer Jon Brion — who's worked with such artists as Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Macy Gray, Melissa Etheridge, and Robyn Hitchcock — has released his own solo album, Meaningless, through ARTISTdirect and his own Web site, jonbrion.com.

CLOSER TO RUSSIA: Rootsy rockers the Continental Drifters plan to release their second album, Better Day, on May 15 through Razor & Tie. The 12-song LP is the follow-up to their acclaimed 1999 record, Vermilion.

GOING, GOING: Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong lent the Go-Go's a hand in recording "Unforgiven," the first single from the band's first studio album in 17 years. God Bless the Go-Go's, produced by Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade (Radiohead, Hole), is due from Beyond Records on May 15.

VIRGIN BATH: Bathgate, a 21-year old MC who cut his teeth battle-rapping on the streets of New York, will release his debut album — Dear Rich America, My Story to You — this spring on Virgin Records. The LP features work from producers Blaze (Jay-Z), DJ Clue, and Jerard (Missy Elliott).