Fall Music Preview 2007: Bruce Springsteen, James Blunt, Alicia Keys and More

Missy Elliott
The Countdown
Out in December

In August, a group named "Reunite Missy and Timbaland" popped up on MySpace. It was a response from fans who feared the duo had split up because Timbaland was quoted saying that Elliott's sixth album was too over-the-top for hip-hop. "He was saying it in a good way," laughs Elliott. "Like, I'm so far-left, people might not be ready for me." If the disc's hyper pace is too crazy, Timbaland is partly to blame: he and Nate "Danja" Hills cooked up its rowdy, "fun-for-the-club" beats. T-Pain also makes a cameo on the album, which Elliott cut in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. "I never want to give them another 'Get Ur Freak On' or another 'Work It,'" she says. "We're trying different stuff, just going in blind and hoping that people will be with it."