Now that March is almost here, you can practically hear the sound of the thaw in in the land of new album releases.

Tom Petty just announced his latest release “Mojo”, his first studio album with The Heartbreakers in 8 years. He says the sound of the album reminds him of early Allman Brothers: “very blues-based” he claims. And he and the boys will launch a major tour to support the album, including coming to Buffalo with Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Buffalo’s Goo Goo Dolls finished their latest album a few months ago, and are putting the finishing touches on “Something for the Rest of Us” before it comes out this spring. Coldplay also is just about finished with their next album, once again produced by Brian Eno. It looks to be coming out later this year.

Ray Davies is currently working on a new album of Kinks Klassics with Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. He has also told newspapers that his brother Dave is beginning to recover from his 2004 stroke, and may be up for another go at a Kinks recording.

And John Mellencamp finished his new album “No Better Than This” last summer while on tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, but it looks like he will delay that project until he finally releases his long-delayed career-spanning box set. The four-disc set, “On The Rural Route 7609″, was planned to come out last year, but Mellencamp keeps tinkering with it. It is now planned for June of this year.

All in all, a lot of good music is coming our way in the next few months.