Meat Loaf has been hard at work since his departure from Donald Trump's 'Celebrity Apprentice' earlier this year. The singer celebrates his 40th anniversary as a recording artist this year, and to commemorate the milestone, he is gearing up to release not just one, but three new albums.

Among the projects will be a new studio album that will feature rappers Chuck D from Public Enemy and Lil Jon, who was also a competitor on 'Celebrity Apprentice.'

"Ever since we started with (producer) Rob Cavallo, from that minute on I've been back in the music business and having a really, really great time -- which I haven't had for five years before that," Meatloaf tells Billboard.

The first of the three albums is slated for release in February. The singer promises that 'Hell in a Handbasket' will be "the most personal record" that he's made in his 40-year career. "It's about how I feel the world's gone to hell in a handbasket," he explains. "It's really the first record that I've ever put out about how I feel about life and how I feel about what's going on at the moment."

Meat Loaf tells the publication that he has also completed about nine songs toward another studio album. "We've started to do drum tracks on those songs, and we'll get more in pretty soon," he says.

Lastly, the music icon is planning his first Christmas album, 'Hot Holidays,' which he hopes to have completed by the holiday season of 2012. 'Hot Holidays' also has guest appearances, which will include country stars Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, along with "different rock people and some actors."

In between recording the new tunes, Meat Loaf is keeping busy on the road, where he is currently touring in support of last year's 'Hang Cool Teddy Bear' album. (It's a rather ironic title considering he's had at least one fainting spell at a concert as a result of this summer's hot temperatures.)

The tour continues on in the United States into September, before he heads overseas for a run booked in Australia and New Zealand for October.

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