’Tis almost release season

The music business is hurting, but you wouldn’t know it from the avalanche of activity between now and Christmas. Despite the boffo business done this summer by Coldplay and Lil Wayne, the industry’s conventional wisdom still holds that the run-up to the holiday season is the best time for major-label singers and rappers to sell CDs (or digital albums).

Along with the high-profile releases (described below) from Beyonce and Taylor Swift, there’ll be plenty more, from rapper T.I. (“Paper Trail,” Sept. 30), Jennifer Hudson (self-titled, Sept. 30), John Legend (“Evolver,” Sept. 30), Bob Dylan (the outtakes collection “Tell Tale Signs,” Oct. 7), and Fall Out Boy (“Folie a Deux,” Nov. 4).

Just because the heavy hitters are out in force doesn’t mean the indie kids are taking it easy. Albums are coming from two of the more accomplished bands in alt-rock, Austin’s Okkervil River (“The Stage Names,” Sept. 9) and Of Montreal (“Skeletal Lamping,” Oct. 7).

The list goes on. …

Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis wasn’t at her acid-tongued best on Rilo Kiley’s 2007 “Under the Blacklight,” an overly slick album in which the indie-rock band labored to turn itself into a new-millennium Fleetwood Mac. The top-shelf singer-songwriter was in top form, however, on her 2006 solo album, “Rabbit Fur Coat,” and now she’s going solo again with “Acid Tongue,” with contributions from Elvis Costello, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. The title song can be heard by dialing 1-888-717-2243. (Release date: Sept. 23)

TV on the Radio

The New York quintet injects a little infectious bop-bop-bop into its art-rock attack on its thrilling third album, “Dear Science.” The outfit led by Tunde Adebimpe may be too oblique to capture a mass audience, but its broken beats, sweet synths, punchy horns and noisy guitars cohere into an enthralling whole. (Sept. 23)

The Pretenders

Calling this band the Pretenders might be a bit of a stretch, since drummer Martin Chambers isn’t in the lineup. (Jim Keltner bangs on the skins instead.) But with “Break Up the Concrete,” the first Pretenders album since 2002’s forgotten “Loose Screw,” Chrissie Hynde sounds energized, engaged and in fine voice. (Oct. 7)

Lucinda Williams

For Lucinda Williams fans weary of the indulgences of the gifted Southern country-blues soulstress – too many slow songs, too much whining – “Little Honey” is just the right medicine. It not only arrives ahead of schedule; it’s also remarkably upbeat, loose, and raucous. It includes “Jailhouse Tears,” a wonderful old-school country duet with Elvis Costello, and a surprise cover of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock N’ Roll).” (Oct. 14)

Taylor Swift

Since her self-titled debut album in 2006, long-legged songsmith Taylor Swift has been the commercial salvation of country music, selling more than three million albums. She’s served up a taste of what’s next with the pop-rockin’ single “Change” – hmm, seems like I’ve heard that word somewhere – which will be included on her new album, “Fearless.” (Nov. 18)

Pink

Alecia Moore seems determined not to let the breakup of her marriage to motocross racer Corey Hart get her down. Her new album is called “Funhouse,” and over a typically Pink-ish pounding rhythm, its feisty first single “So What” proclaims, “I guess I just lost my husband, I don’t know where he went/So I’m gonna drink my money, I’m not gonna pay his rent.” (Oct. 28).

Beyonce

“Virtuoso Intellect”? She’s beautiful, rich, and married to Jay-Z. Now the rumored title to Beyonce Knowles’ new album seems designed to make sure we know that Ms. Bootylicious is super-talented and really smart to boot. Please, B. – show, don’t tell. (Nov. 18)

LaBelle

Voulez-vous ecouter a LaBelle, en 2008? That is the question regarding “Back to Now,” the reunion album by LaBelle, the glam-soul trio of Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. Back in the mid-’70s dawn of disco, the Philadelphia vocal powerhouse and her soul sisters scored an enormous hit with “Lady Marmalade,” which asked the naughty question, “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” The trio has reunited before but never for a full album like “Back to Now.” (Oct. 21)

Taj Mahal

This season’s star-studded elder-statesman CD comes from bluesman Taj Mahal. “Maestro,” his 40th-anniversary CD, traces his journeys around the African music diaspora from Mali to the Mississippi Delta. Guests includes Chicano rockers Los Lobos, Benin dynamo Angelique Kidjo, surfer-singer Jack Johnson, and Mahal’s former guitar student, Ben Harper. (Sept. 30)

Rachael Yamagata

It’s been four years since singer-songwriter-pianist Rachael Yamagata debuted with “Happenstance.” Since then, the dusky-voiced singer has been befriended by Bright Eyes and moved to Philadelphia. Her new CD, “Elephants … Teeth Sinking Into Heart,” is subtitled “A Record in 2 Parts,” and its stately production was largely handled by Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis. (Oct. 7)

Guns N’ Roses

Axl Rose is the Ralph Ellison, the J.D. Salinger, the Harper Lee of hard rock. GNR once defined metal-edged swagger, but it’s been a decade and a half since the band – with Slash and Izzy Stradlin long gone – has released an album. Several songs from “Chinese Democracy” were leaked this summer, and one, “Shackler’s Revenge,” is on the video game Rock Band 2, raising hopes that this is indeed the year “Democracy” (due by Christmas, maybe) spreads across the globe.