Next week's Billboard 200 chart-topper will likely come in the form of Lady Antebellum's sophomore album, "Need You Now." Early prognostications from label sources suggest that the set may sell around 325,000 copies by week's end on Jan. 31. It will be the first No. 1 for the trio, whose self-titled first album debuted and peaked at No. 4 last May.
"Need You Now's" title cut already spent five weeks atop the Country Songs tally last year and reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. This week, it debuts at No. 37 on the Pop Songs chart, which ranks the most-played songs at top 40 radio stations. It's the first time a country group has charted on the Pop tally since Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most" spent 20 weeks on the list in 2006 and 2007, peaking at No. 22.
Lady Antebellum has a busy release week in terms of promotion, as the group is slated to perform on both "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (Jan. 27) and the Grammy Awards (Jan. 31). The act is up for two Grammys this year: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Country Song (both for "I Run To You").
2010 Grammy Predictions And Poll
Other albums headed for likely lofty debuts on next week's Billboard 200 include Corinne Bailey Rae's "The Sea" and Celtic Woman's "Songs From the Heart."
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