Robust albums schedule to greet Q1: new records from emerging talent and superstars alike herald promising start to 2005.(Talent)

Retailers who have become resigned to a new-year release schedule typically dominated by untried and development acts usually have reason to feel blue in January. But 2005 looks set to offer a different story.

The first quarter of next year is set to deliver a series of new superstar albums by the likes of Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Lopez and Stereophonics.

Jennifer Lopez will be among the first major act to release new material in 2005, with her fourth studio set due in January through Sony. Lopez will begin promotional work for the album's introductory single, Get Right, this week when she makes a UK visit, which will include a launch event on Thursday. January will also see other acts such as Athlete (Parlophone), The Chemical Brothers (Virgin) and Feeder (Echo) returning with new studio albums, plus a new solo best of from Ozzy Osbourne (Sony).

Further ahead, Beck and Black Eyed Peas (both Polydor) will offer key album releases in February, although much interest is also expected in the February release of Fightstar's debut mini-album, now due through Sandwich Leg Records (not Fierce Panda, as previously announced). Fightstar is the side-project rock band of Busted's Charlie Simpson.

But these are sure to be dwarfed by arguably the first quarter's biggest release, Parlophone-signed Coldplay's third album, which is due in late March. Doves (Heavenly), Idlewild (Parlophone), Gorillaz (Parlophone), Moby (Mute), New Order (Warner Bros), Stereophonics (V2) and System Of A Down (Sony) will also have new albums in March, making for a promising month of new music. In addition, a potentially strong-selling new title from Jamiroquai (Sony) is ...