After a two-year break, the Backstreet Boys are at work on their first album since 2001's "Black and Blue." In a post on the Web site of its management company, Wright Entertainment Group, the group reveals, "All five of us went back into the studio this past February and have been working to create what we think will be our best album yet. It has been really great being back together working on our music."

The as-yet-untitled album is being targeted for a summer release on Jive. "We will be touring in the United States this fall," the post adds.

Since the release of "Black and Blue," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 5.4 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the group's members have busied themselves with various pursuits. The lone member to issue a solo album was Nick Carter, whose "Now or Never" was released in 2002 by Jive.

Group member Howie Dorough told Billboard in May 2003 that he was working on a solo album with songs in English and Spanish, but the set has yet to materialize.