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31-year old Groban hasn't required crossover top 40 hit singles in order to sustain his music sales, as he reaches consumers through TV performances and other non-traditional means. Impressively, Groban has sold 21.7 million albums in the U.S., making him one of the biggest selling male pop vocalists of the SoundScan era (1991-present).
At No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week is another new arrival: Tim McGraw's "Two Lanes of Freedom." The country star's first album for Big Machine Records sold 107,000 and marks his 15th top 10. On the Top Country Albums chart, it starts at No. 1 -- his 14th leader.
The new "Now 45" compilation enters at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, shifting 87,000. The last "Now" set, "Now 45," launched with 99,000 at No. 2 last November. All of the regular, numbered, "Now" albums have reached the top 10, and all but the first debuted in the top 10.
Mumford & Sons' "Babel," which won the Grammy Award for album of the year on Feb. 10, jumps 7-4 with 54,000 (up 50%). Expect the sales for the set to grow next week, after a full seven days' worth of impact from the show is felt.
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Andrea Bocelli's "Passione" slips a moderate 45% in its second week, dipping three rungs to No. 5 with 51,000. That's a less-harsh drop than that of Justin Bieber's "Believe Acoustic," which tumbles 1-6 with a 79% erosion (43,000). The slide might have been stronger had it not been for his double-duty as the host and musical guest on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" last weekend (Feb. 9).
Rock band Red debuts at No. 7 with "Release the Panic" (41,000), marking the second top 10 for the group. Their last studio set, 2011's "Until We Have Faces," charged in at No. 2 two years ago, moving 43,000 in its first week.
Bruno Mars is another beneficiary of the Grammy Awards, as his "Unorthodox Jukebox" gains by 10% -- but is pushed back 6-8 with just under 41,000. He performed the album's lead single, "Locked Out of Heaven," with Sting, on the show.
Coheed and Cambria's new "The Afterman: Descension" bows at No. 9 with almost 41,000 as well. It's the rock band's fifth top 10 and comes hot on the heels of "The Afterman: Ascension," which debuted and peaked at No. 5 last October (49,000 first week).
Closing out the top 10 on the Billboard 200 is the Lumineers' self-titled album. It gets pushed back a slot to No. 10, but earns a 21% sales gain (to 39,000). The act was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and performed its single "Ho Hey" on the broadcast.
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop" (featuring Wanz) is No. 1 for a fifth week, moving 389,000 (up 2%). At No. 2 is will.i.am & Britney Spears' "Scream & Shout" with 163,000 (down 5%).
A new entry at No. 3 is Fall Out Boy's new single "My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light Em Up)" with 162,000 downloads sold. Fall Out Boy has been absent from the Digital Songs chart since 2009, when "America's Suitehearts" spent one week on the list at No. 71.
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Bruno Mars' latest single "When I Was Your Your Man" rises 7-4 with 159,000 (up 52%) while Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" slips 3-5 (158,000; down 3%). The Lumineers' "Ho Hey" gains by 25% to 147,000 -- though it is pushed back a slot to No. 6.
Maroon 5's "Daylight" -- which was performed on the Grammy Awards -- climbs 10-7 with 121,000 (up 28%) as does Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" (up three to No. 8 with 120,000; up 33%). Like "Daylight," Timberlake's single was performed on the Grammys.
Swedish House Mafia's "Don't You Worry Child" (featuring John Martin), falls 4-10 with 117,000 (down 4%) and Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven" slips 8-10 with 109,000 -- though it's up by 5%).
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Feb. 10) totaled 5.81 million units, up 11% compared with the sum last week (5.25 million) and down 15% compared with the comparable sales week of 2012 (6.83 million). Year to date album sales stand at 32.30 million, down 5% compared to the same total at this point last year (33.99 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 27.32 million downloads, up 6% compared with last week (25.80 million) and down 6% stacked next to the comparable week of 2012 (28.93 million). Year to date track sales are at 170.97 million, up less than 1% compared to the same total at this point last year (170.54 million).
Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2012 when: Adele's "21" was for a 21st week (730,000; up 207%) in the wake of the Grammy Awards. At No. 2, Whitney Houston's "Whitney: The Greatest Hits," climbed four slots with 175,000 (up 174%).
