Hanson have been striving to integrate the smooth music they grew up on — Billy Joel, Steve Winwood and classic Stax and Motown records — into their pop-rock sound, and on their upcoming fifth album Shout It Out (due June 1st) the trio of brothers push their love of soul and R&B to the next level. Michael Jackson’s horn arranger Jerry Hey and funk brother Bob Babbitt guest on the record, which they laid down in El Paso, Texas, last April and finished up in studios in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Hollywood.

“The album title stood out early on in the record process as a phrase that helped put all those elements into one simple statement,” Taylor Hanson tells Rolling Stone. “The record is built like a lot of records from ’60s and ’70s. From the beginning of the writing process, it felt like the kind of record we could have old school horn parts on.” Working with Hey was a reunion of sorts since he’d also arranged horns on their 2004 release Underneath. But when it came time to team with Babbitt, Hanson says the band benefited from a few “lucky calls” made by industry vet/drummer Steve Jordan and former Michael Jackson music director Michael Beardon to hook them up.

Hanson says Babbitt helped the band add movement to the record, which reflected their larger goals for Shout. “I want to be able to talk about changing the world through your actions and being a generation that is aware and a force to be reckoned with — and at the same time be dancing,” Hanson says, adding that the band’s last LP — 2007’s The Walk — was tied to the band’s experiences in South Africa and its fight to raise money for AIDS awareness. “This record is more buoyant.”

To kick off Shout It Out, Hanson are performing each of their albums in chronological order over a five-night stand in New York City at the end of April. The sold-out shows will be streamed online, and Hanson says the band has locked in guest appearances from musicians who have played on previous Hanson records — a pool that includes blues guitarist Jonny Lang, Sly & the Family Stone member Rose Stone and singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet.

“By going back for a second, it creates a platform that allows you to hear the new record in perspective. In the end, you’ll hear how the songwriting and who we are has never changed,” Hanson explains. “With the new record, we’ve set forth the path we’re on and we’re really comfortable with it. We’re not trying to add anything new. For better or for worse, this is a written, performed, composed by Hanson album.”

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•

Michael Jackson’s doctor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the pop singer’s death.

Billboard Bits serves up the best bite-sized nuggets of music news and gossip every afternoon.

Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson and Celine Dion will take part in the Grammy Awards’ 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson live on January 31st. The Recording Academy is honoring the King of Pop with a Lifetime Achievement Award on music’s biggest night and premiering previously unseen footage from his planned This Is It concerts that was filmed to accompany his performance of “Earth Song.” The musicians will sing along with a recording of Jackson’s vocal as the 3-D mini-movie that was meant to be the centerpiece of This Is It rolls.

Look back at Michael Jackson’s life and career, in photos.

“It was one of the most important portions of the concert tour to Michael, and when Michael saw the film for the first time at his last rehearsal, there were tears in his eyes,” Grammy co-executive producer and Jackson’s friend Ken Ehrlich said in a statement. The “Earth Song” footage, which expresses Jackson’s intense concern for the welfare of the planet, was shown in part in concert film This Is It, which is due out on DVD five days before the Grammy Awards, on January 26th. Jackson had big plans to bring 3-D to the concert experience, shooting a new “Thriller” video using the technology, as well.

CBS, the network airing the Grammys live, is teaming with Target to distribute millions of 3-D glasses so viewers can experience the Jackson tribute at home. People attending the awards live at Los Angeles’ Staples Center will also receive a pair of 3-D glasses. The event will mark the first time a sequence is broadcast three-dimensionally during an awards show.

Jackson’s career was previously celebrated at MTV’s Video Music Awards, where Madonna gave a speech about her special relationship to the King of Pop and Janet Jackson assembled an all-star crew of choreographers to pay tribute to her brother’s groundbreaking dancing. Stars also honored Jackson at the BET Awards, which took place just days after his June 25th death.

Check out all of Rolling Stone’s essential Michael Jackson coverage.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Green Day, Pink, Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi and the Black Eyed Peas will also perform at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

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Michael Jackson will be a focal point of the Grammys, with an unprecedented posthumous tribute.

Country star Alan Jackson’s new album “Freight Train” (Sony Music Nashville) is set for release March 30.

Photo: Michael Becker / FOX

Randy Jackson predicts America has an “interesting, funny, different season” in store when the ninth cycle of American Idol kicks off next Tuesday on Fox. In a press conference earlier today Jackson assured reporters “this season we have some really good, bona fide, stand-in-your-shoes singers without all the props or all the affectations.”

Look back at Idol’s Season Eight in photos.

Permanent fourth judge Ellen DeGeneres won’t make her debut until Hollywood Week starts February 9th (the episodes are being taped next week), but a host of guest judges — Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Shania Twain, Kristin Chenowith, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry — will fill the spot vacated by Paula Abdul for the preliminary audition rounds. “What I like about the guest judges is that they all come from a singing/live performance background, so they know what it’s like,” Jackson says.

He recalls Mary J. Blige invoking a bit of a “fear factor” during the Atlanta tryouts by being a real “stand-in-your-shoes” singer. “What people don’t expect is that these artists who have huge pop careers will really know what they’re talking about, but if you spoke to a Lady Gaga or you watch Katy or Avril, you realize their success is based on them knowing what they’re doing.”

Jackson did remember looking down the judges’ table and wondering, “Wait a minute, where’s Paula? I’ll expect to hear something from her in my left ear and I go, ‘Wait a minute, that doesn’t sound like Paula!’ ” he says with a laugh. “It’s going to take a little getting used to [not having her there] — the whole thing started with me, Ryan [Seacrest], Simon [Cowell] and her, but welcoming Ellen to the fold is a good look.”

Of this season’s hopefuls Jackson says, “This year you would have thought there would have been a lot more theatrical contestants that showed up [based on Adam Lambert], but that’s not what happened at all.” Though he remained relatively mum on specifics, Jackson promised “a couple of interesting wrinkles” for the performance themes and revealed he’s most interested in hearing the contestants sing current music. “Where ever you come in with this show, the only thing you know for sure is that you get a shot to go up against your contemporaries,” he explains. “This show is definitely a rocket ship to the top. Is it the only rocket ship? No, but I think it’s the best show of its kind, ever and it can go on for quite a long time.”

Prosecutors are prepared to seek an indictment of Michael Jackson’s doctor on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star’s death, The Associated Press has learned.

• The first Jack White-produced songs by Wanda Jackson will be released on iTunes and vinyl via his Third Man Records January 26th. The rockabilly legend’s debut single will feature her cover of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’s No Good” and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’ “Shakin’ All Over.” Read more about White’s decade here.
• Santigold has been logging some time in the studio with Devo. The singer-rapper-producer made the revelation in a Paste interview, where she said she made her idols “pull out the red hats and pose for a picture.”
• Lupe Fiasco and Santigold are part of an expedition climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with Kenna next week to draw attention to the need for clean water in developing nations, MTV News reports. Summit on the Summit will turn into a doc airing March 14th on MTV.
• The February 18th Neil Young tribute concert at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre will feature Lou Reed, Iron & Wine, Vashti Bunyan and members of Broken Social Scene, Exclaim reports.

Lenny Kravitz took to Twitter to “set the record straight” about a leaked version of Michael Jackson’s “Another Day,” a song he recorded with the King of Pop before his passing.

Randy Jackson reached out to his Twitter followers yesterday (Jan. 4) to help him fill out his Grammy ballot.

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video will rest among the nation’s treasures in the world’s largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

A British documentary team has filmed Dr. Conrad Murray’s first day back at his practice for an upcoming television special. Murray remains the lone focus of the Michael Jackson homicide investigation; Jackson was Murray’s patient at the time of his June 25th death from cardiac arrest following an acute intoxication of the powerful anesthetic Propofol. As Rolling Stone previously reported, no charges have yet been filed against Murray, who returned to his Houston practice on November 23rd.

According to the AP, Murray’s spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik confirmed that a British film crew chronicled the physician’s first day back at the Houston clinic. Sevcik added that Murray allowed the crew to film him, but added that no footage will be aired until the entire investigation into Jackson’s death and any legal proceedings involving Murray have been completed. Murray has denied any wrongdoing in Jackson’s death.

As Rolling Stone reported in early December, the interpretation of the “complex medical data” involved in the Jackson investigation likely means that the decision to file any charges against Murray is “months rather than weeks away.” Outside help has been recruited to help investigators dig through the files and toxicology reports to determine whether or not Murray acted improperly in administering Jackson with Propofol, an aesthetic that is mainly for hospital use. Jackson’s death has already been classified as a “homicide” by the Los Angeles county coroner, and a search warrant used to raid Murray’s clinics said that the physician was being investigated for suspicion of manslaughter.

Related Stories:

• Charges in Michael Jackson’s Death Months Away, Source Says
• Janet Jackson Blames Dr. Murray for Michael’s Death in Interview
• Michael Jackson’s Death Officially Ruled Homicide

When Michael Jackson died suddenly on June 25th, the stunned and saddened Rolling Stone team snapped to action and devoted a commemorative issue to the King of Pop. Now the magazine’s editors are proud to present an even bigger version of that special edition of RS: Michael, a book devoted to Jackson’s life and career that features more than 100 rare photographs from his Jackson 5 days through his troubled later years. It’s the perfect addition to any present you can find in our rock & roll gift guide.

RS contributor Jon Dolan writes about Bad, Jackson’s last truly great album, and Alan Light examines the making of Thriller, the biggest album of all time. Rob Sheffield contributes a guide to Jackson’s videos and the 25 moments that defined his career. Michael also includes tributes from Slash, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and others who worked with and admired Jackson.

Order the book, and dive into our special Michael Jackson coverage right here on RollingStone.com, too:

• Michael Jackson: The Rolling Stone Covers
• Photos: Michael Jackson’s Life and Career

Michael Jackson’s “Captain EO” is moonwalking back to Disneyland.

A Michael Jackson tribute concert which was scrapped in Vienna and moved to London after top acts dropped out has been canceled after the event’s organizer closed down, the company’s liquidator said on Friday.

Michael Jackson lived on. Green Day and Bruce Bruce Springsteen rocked. Lady Gaga turned heads. Jay-Z, Beyonce and Taylor Swift triumphed. It all happened in 2009, and we’ve got the photos to prove it.

The administrators of Michael Jackson’s estate and a cadre of attorneys are seeking millions for managing the King of Pop’s affairs after death, court documents show.

As Miley Cyrus loses her Grammy nod, Michael Jackson gets one of his own.

Photo: Busacca/WireImage

Michael Jackson will be honored posthumously next month when the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles on January 31st. The big show will be beamed live into America’s living rooms starting at 8 p.m. on CBS; the Special Merit Awards will be doled out a day before, during an invite-only ceremony, though it’s almost certain a larger Jackson tribute is in the works for the prime-time telecast. Per Contact Music, LL Cool J, who hosted the Grammy nominations concert earlier this month, says he’d like to see Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, Usher and more stars perform “Billie Jean.”

Check out all of Rolling Stone’s Grammy coverage.

Jackson is among those who will receive the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Other recipients of this year’s honor include Leonard Cohen, Bobby Darin, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Loretta Lynn, André Previn and Clark Terry. Harold Bradley, who founded Castle Recording Studio, Nashville’s earliest recording studio, Florence Greenberg, the late owner of Scepter Records, and Walter C. Miller, former CMA Awards Executive Producer, will all be singled out as Trustees Award honorees, for their outstanding contributions to the industry in a non-performing capacity.

Look back at Jackson’s epic career, in photos.

In June, just days after Jackson’s death, the BET Awards scrambled together a tribute that featured New Edition singing a medley of Jackson 5 songs and a few words from a very shaken Janet Jackson. Madonna honored Jackson with a lengthy speech at the top of MTV’s Video Music Awards in September, and her talk was followed by a special performance of “Scream” by Janet accompanied by big-name choreographers who worked with and were inspired by Michael.

The King of Pop was up for five American Music Awards this year, and took home four trophies. His work was not eligible for any Grammy nods.