Those longing to meditate to a McLachlan-made mantra of new material can charge their chis. The Laws of Illusion  (Arista Records) is a contemporary compilation of completely new work and original songs performed by the artist, and—in kind with April ’10 release one of the CD’s leading tracks “Loving You is Easy”—the album is an exceptional anthology of heartbreaking ballads, ethereal tempos and spiritual, atmospheric songstress-ing that made McLachlan an original, multi-platinum and Grammy Award Winning vocalist. Illusion’s June 2010 release collaborates with this year’s McLachlan-founded Lilith Fair, the famed all-women touring music festival that to hit the states earlier this month.

www.sarahmclachlan.com / www.lilithfair.com

The pansexual Scissor Sisters’ third studio album (Downtown Records) is this summer’s must-have CD. Released in the U.S. on June 29, the 12-track album is touted as homage to the 1970s and ‘80s-era club scene, an imagining of where music might have gone had the age of disco/new wave been let to advance (Think Journey, Depeche Mode—the early inklings of alternative).

“So much was progressive and being pushed…,” says lead vocalist Jake Shears of that period. “And then the party stopped in a way that couldn’t have been more dramatic. A whole generation was wiped out … What if you could pick up where that left off?” And from that thought the inspiration for Night Work came.

Check www.scissorsisters.com for the promo tour’s dates and locations.

SISTER SIN‘s fist-pumping new single, “Outrage” will be the FREE Song of the Day, today Saturday, July 17th on AmazonMP3. Offering a taste of their sophomore release, True Sound of the Underground, this single showcases what real Heavy Metal is all about.  Fans of Judas Priest, The Scorpions, and Motley Crue are guaranteed to find one of their new favorite bands in Sister Sin.

SISTER SIN is out to prove that their brand of loaded metal is the most precious Swedish import.  Starting this Sunday, the band heads back to the States to embark on a US tour with Michael Schenker Group (MSG) and Lynch Mob. As if that wasn’t enough, SISTER SIN will be out for a block of dates in support of the legendary Black Label Society in the early Fall.

To download “Outrage” go to: http://www.amazon.com/Outrage/dp/B003MZ537U/ref=sr_shvl_album_3ie=UTF8&qid=1279296598&sr=301-3

To see the video for “Outrage” visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB3UiwAdfec

“Dirty Talk” is currently #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Play Chart!  Produced by Jupiter Ace and directed by Armen Djerrahian (Melanie Fiona) this music video will premiere next week on http://www.wyntergordon.com.  Big Beat / Atlantic recording artist Wynter Gordon will release her debut album later this year.

CALLING ALL LITTLE MONSTERS!!!

LADY GAGA will release Lady Gaga – The Remix (Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope) on August 3^rd, 2010. The Remix has sold over 500,000 albums internationally topping the charts in the UK, Japan and Canada. The U.S. version of The Remix features ten songs from The Fame and The Fame Monster including Gaga hits like “Just Dance”, “Poker Face”, “LoveGame”, “Paparazzi”, “Bad Romance”, “Telephone” and “Alejandro” all remixed by highly acclaimed DJ’s and artists. This is the first time this collection will be available stateside.

Following the announcement of the North American extension of The Monster Ball Tour, international pop superstar LADY GAGA now also has the largest selling digital album ever, scanning 783,056 units of “The Fame Monster” (combined). The Fame Monster and The Fame have sold over 13 million albums worldwide to date. The video for LADY GAGA’s latest single, “Alejandro”, has been viewed online over 39 million times since its June 8^th release.

In other GAGA news, she has become the first living person with 10 million “Likes” on Facebook, joining the ranks of other popular pages such as Texas Hold’em Poker, Michael Jackson, Mafia Wars, Facebook, and Family Guy.

Bionic • Christina Aguilera • RCA Records

Four years following the release of Christina Aguilera’s last CD, the two-disc compilation that brought the former Mickey Mouse Club Mousketeer “Back to Basics,” the pop-soprano superstar goes Bionic. “Each album I release is a representation of my personal life experiences…” Aguilera says on her Web site in regards to her latest, as-of-then-upcoming LP. “…Since [Back to Basics], I have become a mother, a wife … [allowing] me to face new challenges and explore different sides of myself I did not even know existed.” With tracks titled “Sex for Breakfast,” “Glam” and the instant hit “Not Myself Tonight”—immediately topping the mainstream billboards after its online release—said new sides of Aguilera yield an album of futuristic sounds lending her to become a digital diva of drama and dance. Bionic drops in June 2010.

Non-Stop • Andy Bell • Mute Records

While Andy Bell fans (and publicists) are calling Erasure’s famed front man’s second solo album “genius” and “magnificent,” those new to his solo work may be hard-pressed to find its novel niche; the ten-track compilation is saturated with synth-pop/atmospheric dance delights á la Erasure’s mid-‘80s success. However, “DHDQ” (an acronym standing for Debbie Harry Drag Queen) and the Perry Farrell duet “Honey, If You Love Him,” are the CDs standout songs, if only for their clear gay appeal. Nevertheless, Non-Stop’s overall sound and May 25, 2010 release lends itself to making a perfect soundtrack to backdrop any summer celebration. ­www.andybell.com

The Iconic Performer Cyndi Lauper re-invents herself again.  The new album Memphis Blues will be featuring B.B. King, Jonny Lang, Allen Toussaint and many others. It’s scheduled to be released on June 22^nd on Downtown Records. To preview “Memphis Blues” go to www.downtownmusic.com/cyndi/memphisblues.

If you like to catch Cyndi Lauper on the silver screen, check out Joy Behar at CNN, June 21st. On June 22nd check the Howard Stern Show, on June 23rd check Good Morning America and finally on June 24th, she is going to be live with Regis & Kelly.

For information about Lauper’s upcoming Memphis Blues tour, visit her website cyndilauper.com or www.cyndilauper.com/date.

Backstreet’s back, all right; selling more than 100 million albums worldwide with such hits as “Quit Playing Games (with My Heart),” “As Long As You Love Me” and “Unbreakable,” the Backstreet Boys return to Ravinia at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 17.

R&B group Mindless Behavior makes its Ravinia debut opening for the Backstreet Boys. Earlier that day, Musicians from Ravinia’s Steans Institute for Young Artists present a “Jazz in June Showcase” at 6 p.m. in Bennett • Gordon Hall.

Cho to perform at Bonnaroo 2010 alongside Conan O’Brien and Aziz Ansari on June 10 & 11, before heading out on a national US tour August 26. Also, season 2 of Cho’s hit Lifetime tv show Drop Dead Diva was just debut on June 6.

“I want to create a new genre of music that is hilarious but also seriously good, so I turned to some of my music heroes to help me out,” says Margaret Cho in reference to her forthcoming album Cho-Dependent. “I have wanted to make an album like this forever. I love comedy music!”

The lyrics on Cho Dependent, which tackle issues of sex, drugs, rock & roll – and lice, may be laugh-inducing, but Cho has made no compromises when it comes to the quality of the songwriting and production. After “My Puss,” a hilarious rap parody Cho recorded impromptu-style with friends, became a surprise YouTube hit, Cho began to integrate more comedy music into her live stand-up shows. With Cho Dependent, her first comedy music album, Cho got a chance to hone her craft with some of the top names in the business.

“Over the years of being an intense music geek I got to meet a lot of my heroes and I tricked them all into writing songs with me,” explains Cho. “Most comics want to be rock stars, and most rock stars want to be comics, so it was an easy exchange.”

“There are so many amazing people I got to work with on this album,” Cho continues, “Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Tegan and Sara, Andrew Bird, Ani DiFranco, Garrison Starr, Meghan Toohey, Brendan Benson, Rachael Yamagata, Carl Newman, Grant Lee Phillips, Patty Griffin, Ben Lee, Kevin Barnes — I still have to pinch myself!”

Conversely, the many collaborators on Cho Dependent seem to be equally excited about working with Cho. In a blog published on The Huffington Post, Australian indie-pop artist Ben Lee, said that working with her was “one of the most surprising and unexpected turns” in his career.

“When I heard Margaret was making her own music last year, I reached out to her and said I’d love to be involved,” reveals Lee, who co-wrote and produced several songs on the album. “The process of working with Margaret has been a complete revelation and joy for me. She started learning guitar at age 40 after seeing Madonna play guitar and thinking, ‘If that bitch can do it, it can’t be that hard.’ It’s this punk-rock enthusiasm that has informed every step of the writing and recording process.”

Canadian folk-rock duo Tegan and Sara, also blogged about their experiences recording with the taboo-busting funnywoman, whom they called “outrageously talented and funny.” Their Cho Dependent track, “Intervention,” was recorded over two days in Vancouver with producer Howard Redekopp, who’d just finished co-producing the girl’s sixth studio album, Sainthood.

“Imagine 10 hours of laughing, singing, eating, laughing, talking, eating and laughing and you might have a bit of a clearer picture of what our two days and nights were like,” writes T&S’s Tegan Quin. “The song itself turned out amazing. Margaret has a great voice and was so easy to work with. Definitely a budding musician!”

Ultimately Cho hopes to raise the bar for the genre as a whole – and get a little recognition for her contribution to the cause. Her motivations for this latter goal however are naturally as subversive as her humor.  “I want to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and on Elvis Costello’s Spectacle so I can talk all serious about my songwriting ‘process’ — which is basically trying to figure out what rhymes with ‘dick.’”

Chicago-formed R&B group Earth, Wind & Fire make their Ravinia debut at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 6. Founder Maurice White, who began his career as the drummer for the Ramsey Lewis Trio in the 1960s, co-wrote the band’s biggest hits, including “Shining Star” and “September.” This show is sold out on the lawn and pavilion.

Actor, comedian, producer, author, playwright and bluegrass musician Steve Martin makes his festival debut with The Steep Canyon Rangers at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 12. A banjo player since a young child, Martin recently recorded his debut album The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, which won him a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album this past January. They are joined by special guest bluegrass quintet the Punch Brothers, who incorporate classical masters into their own original compositions. This show is sold out in the pavilion, but lawn tickets are still available.

Singer/songwriter and six-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow, whose top-20 hits include “Everyday Is a Winding Road,” “Soak Up the Sun” and “If It Makes You Happy,” returns to Ravinia at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 13. Joining Crow and making her festival debut is singer/guitarist Colbie Caillat, whose single “Bubbly” spent 14 weeks at number one on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart and was certified platinum, signaling sales of more than 2.6 million downloads. This show is sold out on the lawn and pavilion.