MTV News Online

The Backstreet Boys' A.J. McLean revealed on Monday that the group's upcoming album will incorporate rock, R&B, hip-hop and even some country.

"We're actually just writing right now," McLean said during a surprise visit to MTV's "Total Request Live." The new Backstreet effort, the follow-up to 1999's Millennium, is expected to hit stores in mid-September. (Sonicnet.com's parent company, Viacom, also owns MTV.)

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough is working with Babyface on some songs for the project, McLean said.

He also revealed that Backstreet's Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson will display their talents on drums and piano, respectively, on the album.

McLean has been using his studio downtime to raise money and awareness for VH1's Save The Music campaign. So far, he and his Johnny No Name alter ego have raised more than $150,000 for the campaign through a series of solo appearances. (Sonicnet.com's parent company, Viacom, also owns VH1.)

McLean is slated to rejoin his fellow Backstreet Boys in the studio on July 1.