Will Pink get the holiday sales party started?

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas?

Many in the music business are. Pink hopes to build on the huge sales, cultural ubiquity and general goodwill earned from her 2001 album, “M!ssundaztood,” which catapulted the spirited singer into the ranks of the pop elite.

“She’s a big artist at this point and her live shows have really paid off for her,” says Violet Brown, urban music buyer for the Wherehouse stores chain. She sees Pink as transcending pop, R&B; and hip-hop genre labels. “In a way, it’s a little like Madonna, because she’s able to do different kinds of music and it works for her.”

But between now and November, when the Pink album is due, there are a lot of high-profile new albums due. With help from radio programmers and retail executives, here’s a look at what should be the biggest releases through the holiday season.

Pop

Win: Pink, still untitled, Arista (November release).

Place: Thalia, “Thalia,” Virgin Records (due in stores Tuesday).

“I think Thalia is going to have a big record,” Julie Pilat, music director of KIIS-FM (102.7), says of the Mexican pop star, now married to former Sony Music Chairman Tommy Mottola and lined up for a major promotional push. “This is her 10th album but first in English. We’re currently playing the song ‘I Want U’ featuring Fat Joe, and it’s huge here.”

Show: Usher, untitled, Arista (November).

Also watch out for: Junior Senior, “D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat,” Atlantic (Aug. 5).

Rock

Win: Blink-182, untitled, MCA (Nov. 12). Will punk’s Three Stooges show new maturity after taking a hiatus since 2001’s “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket”? Or would that be career suicide?

Place: Rancid, “Indestructible,” Hellcat (Aug. 26). “I think it’s going to get a big shot to do well,” says Lisa Worden, music director of KROQ-FM (106.7). “They made a more radio-friendly record than ever before.”

Show: Offspring, untitled, Columbia (November).

Also watch out for: Dashboard Confessional, “A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar,” Vagrant/Interscope (Aug. 12); 311, “Evolver,” Volcano (July 22); P.O.D., “Payable On Death,” Atlantic (Nov. 4).

Hip-hop

Win: Jay-Z, untitled, Roc-A-Fella (Nov. 28). “He’s calling it his retirement record,” Brown says. “It should be his biggest record.”

Place: OutKast, “Speakerboxx -- The Love Below,” Arista (August). Principals Dre and Big Boi each gets his own disc on this double set, although they team for OutKast efforts on each.

Show: Ludacris, “Chicken and Beer,” Def Jam (Sept. 30).

Also watch out for: Chingy, “Jackpot,” Disturbing the Peace (July 15); “Bad Boys II” soundtrack, Bad Boy (July 15); the Neptunes, “The Neptunes Present the Clones,” Arista (August).

R&B;

Win: Mary J. Blige, “Love & Life,” Geffen (Aug. 26). Reunites the singer with co-executive producer P. Diddy. Dr. Dre produced two songs, with Eve, 50 Cent and Method Man among the guests. “It’s an amazing record,” the Wherehouse’s Brown says. “That’s my pick for the really huge record coming up.”

Place: Usher, untitled, Arista (November).

Show: Erykah Badu, untitled, Motown (Aug. 26).

Adult

Win (tie): Dave Matthews, untitled, RCA (Sept. 23). How will a solo record differ from one with the band that bears his name?

Win (tie): John Mayer, “Heavier Things,” Columbia (Sept. 9). Mayer is following up his breakthrough major-label debut, which was released early last year. “That [first] record was recorded so long ago that it will be great to hear where he’s at now,” says Chris Patyk, music director of KYSR-FM (98.7). “We’re very excited about getting his new music.”

Show: Sarah McLachlan, untitled, Arista (November).

Also watch out for: Sting, Josh Groban, Dido.

Country

Win: Toby Keith, “Shock ‘n Y’all,” DreamWorks (Nov. 4). Last year’s “Unleashed” and the single “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” made Keith a country superstar.

Place: Wynonna, “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” Asylum/Curb (August).

Show: Sara Evans, “Restless,” RCA (Aug. 19).