Alica Keys’ “As I Am” skips back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with a small gain, pushing last week’s chart-topper, the “Juno” soundtrack, to No. 2 … the Mars Volta and Bullet for My Valentine arrive in the top five, as does the latest “Grammy Nominees” compilation … A “Hannah Montana 2” dance remix album plants itself in the top 10 as well … Other high debuts on the Billboard 200 come from Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli, Vampire Weekend, Shelby Lynne, Willie Nelson and Idina Menzel … In Progress Reports, we’ve got updates on Radiohead, Panic! at the Disco, the B-52’s and Michael McDonald.
FLASH POINTS
• Alicia Keys’ “As I Am” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 61,000 (up 3%), bumping the soundtrack to “Juno” out of the top slot. The latter shifts to No. 2 with 55,000 — down 16%. “As I Am” has now earned four weeks at No. 1, making it Keys’ longest-running No. 1 set. Her debut, “Songs in A Minor,” spent three weeks on top in 2001.
• The Billboard 200 greets high-bowing arrivals from the Mars Volta’s “Bedlam in Goliath” (No. 3 with 54,000), Bullet for My Valentine’s “Scream Aim Fire” (No. 4 with 53,000), the “2008 Grammy Nominees” album (No. 5 with 50,000) and a Hannah Montana remix album (No. 7 with 40,000).
• The Mars Volta has reached the top 10 twice previously, going as high as No. 4 with 2005’s “Frances the Mute.” That album also landed Mars its best sales week — 123,000 when it debuted. The band last visited the top 10 with 2006’s “Amputechture,” which bowed at No. 9 with 59,000, but slipped off the chart after a scant five weeks. Mars Volta is the kind of act that has a devoted — but limited — following, so expect “Bedlam in Goliath” to meet a similar fate on the chart in the coming weeks … Bullet for My Valentine easily scores its best sales week ever as “Scream Aim Fire” bows with 53,000. The band’s last album, “The Poison,” never got higher than No. 128, though it has sold a sturdy 375,000 since it was released nearly two years ago.
• The “2008 Grammy Nominees” album bows at No. 5 with 50,000 units. Last year’s “2007” edition started at No. 4 with 77,000 but rebounded two weeks later to a series-high chart peak and sales week (No. 3 with 131,000) following the Grammy Awards broadcast. All of the regular “Grammy Nominees” albums (not including the sister Latin and rap compilations) have reached the top 30, while seven of them have made the top 10. Discounting the assorted Latin and rap spinoff releases, the series has sold 6.7 million copies in the United States since it launched in 1995.
• After a weekend where Miley Cyrus’ “Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour” film started atop the U.S. and Canadian box offices with a powerful $31 million, the new “Hannah Montana 2: Non-Stop Dance Party” album debuts at No. 7 with 40,000. The set consists of the original “Hannah Montana 2” soundtrack (released last year as one-half of the “Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus” double-album) reworked by producer Chris Cox into a clubby continuous-mix set. Billed as a Hannah Montana release — not a Cyrus album — it also debuts at No. 1 on Top Electronic Albums and No. 1 on Top Kid Audio.
• Other high debuts on the Billboard 200 this week include Sarah Brightman’s “Symphony” (No. 13 with 31,000), Vampire Weekend’s self-titled album (No. 17 with 28,000), Andrea Bocelli’s “Vivere: Live in Tuscany” (No. 22 with 22,000), Shelby Lynne’s “Just a Little Lovin’ ” (No. 41 with 16,000), Willie Nelson’s “Moment of Forever” (No. 56 with 13,000), Idina Menzel’s “I Stand” (No. 58 with 13,000) and the Wal-Mart exclusive “High School Musical: Be Mine” EP (No. 65 with 11,000).
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The Billboard 200 Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| 1 | 2 | ALICIA KEYS As I Am (MBK / J / RMG) | 11 | 7 | CHRIS BROWN Exclusive (Jive / Zomba) |
| 2 | 1 | SOUNDTRACK Juno (Fox / Rhino / AG) | 12 | 9 | GARTH BROOKS The Ultimate Hits (Pearl ) |
| *3 | New | THE MARS VOLTA The Bedlam In Goliath (Universal / UMRG) | *13 | New | SARAH BRIGHTMAN Symphony (Manhattan / BLG) |
| *4 | New | BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE Scream Aim Fire (20-20 Ent. / Jive / Zomba) | 14 | 11 | VARIOUS ARTISTS NOW 26 (EMI / Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group / Universal / Zomba / Capitol) |
| *5 | New | VARIOUS ARTISTS 2008 Grammy Nominees (Grammy / Hip-O / UMe) | 15 | 5 | RADIOHEAD In Rainbows (TBD / ATO) |
| 6 | 4 | MARY J. BLIGE Growing Pains (Matriarch / Geffen / IGA) | *16 | 23 | SARA BAREILLES Little Voice (Epic / Sony Music) |
| *7 | New | HANNAH MONTANA Hannah Montana 2: Non-Stop Dance Party (Walt Disney ) | *17 | New | VAMPIRE WEEKEND Vampire Weekend (XL / Beggars Group) |
| *8 | 8 | KEYSHIA COLE Just Like You (Confidential / Imani / Geffen / IGA) | 18 | 14 | SUGARLAND Enjoy The Ride (Mercury Nashville / UMGN) |
| 9 | 6 | TAYLOR SWIFT Taylor Swift (Big Machine ) | 19 | 13 | SOUNDTRACK Alvin And The Chipmunks (Fox / Razor & Tie) |
| *10 | 10 | MILEY CYRUS Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus (Walt Disney / Hollywood ) | 20 | 15 | COLBIE CAILLAT Coco (Universal Republic / UMRG) |
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
MARKET WATCH
• Album units, current chart week: 7.60 million units
• UP 4% from last issue’s charts: 7.31 million units
• DOWN 18.9% from same week, 2007: 9.37 million units
• This week: No albums sell more than 100,000 copies.
• This week last year on the Billboard 200: Three albums debuted in the top 10, with Norah Jones’ “Not Too Late” bowing at No. 1 with 405,000. Katharine McPhee’s self-titled set started at No. 2 with 116,000 while Celtic Woman’s “New Journey” landed at No. 4 with 71,000. The top two albums sold more than 100,000.
BORDERLINES
• The No. 10 album this week, Miley Cyrus’ “Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus (Soundtrack)” (Walt Disney), sold 35,000.
• The No. 10 album for the same week of 2007, the “2007 Grammy Nominees” album (Grammy/Sony BMG CMG), sold 48,000.
• Average total of the No. 10 album for the same week of the year during the past 10 years (1999-2008): 64,129.
PROGRESS REPORTS
• On the Alternative/Modern Rock chart, Radiohead scores its first top 10 single in more then seven years as “Bodysnatchers” rises from No. 12 to No. 9 in its 15th week on the chart. The band has only managed three top 10 singles in its career — its current track, “Optimistic” (No. 10 in 2000) and “Creep” (No. 2 in 1993) … Panic! at the Disco bows at No. 29 on the Alternative/Modern Rock chart with “Nine in the Afternoon.” It’s the lead single from the band’s forthcoming album “Pretty. Odd.,” due March 25.
• File this under long time no see … The B-52’s return to a radio airplay chart for the first time since 1998, as the act’s new single, “Funplex,” bows at No. 23 on the Triple A chart. The last time the band graced any Billboard radio list was when “Debbie” reached No. 35 on the Alternative/Modern Rock chart in the summer of 1998 … “Funplex” is the group’s first single to reach the Triple A chart. However, on the Alternative/Modern Rock chart, it has more of a history — three No. 1s (“Channel Z,” “Love Shack” and “Good Stuff”) and another two top 10s (“Cosmic Thing” and “Roam”). The B-52’s’ Billboard chart history dates back to Aug. 11, 1979, when its self-titled album bowed on the Billboard 200. The band’s new album, also titled “Funplex,” will be released March 25. It’s the act’s first studio set since 1992’s “Good Stuff” and also its first for the Astralwerks label after having spent its entire career with the Warner Music Group.
• On the Adult Contemporary chart, Michael McDonald rises to No. 10 with “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher,” the singer’s seventh solo top 10 hit on this chart. “Higher” was originally at No. 1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hit for Jackie Wilson in 1967. “Higher” is the first single from McDonald’s new album, “Soul Speak” (due March 11). The set also features covers of “Love TKO,” “Living for the City,” “Walk On By” and “Redemption Song.” Additionally, there are three new McDonald tunes on the set … McDonald’s two “Motown” albums, released in 2003 and 2004, have sold a combined 2 million in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
| Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| 1 | 1 | MARY J. BLIGE Growing Pains (Matriarch / Geffen / IGA) | |||
| *2 | 3 | KEYSHIA COLE Just Like You (Confidential / Imani / Geffen / IGA) | |||
| *3 | 2 | ALICIA KEYS As I Am (MBK / J / RMG) | |||
| 4 | 5 | JAHEIM The Makings Of A Man (Divine Mill / Atlantic / AG) | |||
| *5 | 7 | THE-DREAM Love/Hate (Radio Killa / Def Jam / IDJMG) | |||
| 6 | 6 | CHRIS BROWN Exclusive (Jive / Zomba) | |||
| 7 | 4 | RAHEEM DEVAUGHN Love Behind The Melody (Jive / Zomba) | |||
| *8 | 10 | J. HOLIDAY Back Of My Lac’ (Music Line / Capitol) | |||
| *9 | 9 | JOHN LEGEND Live From Philadelphia (G.O.O.D. / Columbia / Sony Music) | |||
| *10 | 12 | MARIO Go (3rd Street / J / RMG) | |||
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
| Top Country Albums Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| 1 | 1 | TAYLOR SWIFT Taylor Swift (Big Machine ) | |||
| *2 | 2 | GARTH BROOKS The Ultimate Hits (Pearl ) | |||
| 3 | 3 | SUGARLAND Enjoy The Ride (Mercury / UMGN) | |||
| 4 | 4 | EAGLES Long Road Out Of Eden (ERC ) | |||
| 5 | 8 | RASCAL FLATTS Still Feels Good (Lyric Street / Hollywood) | |||
| 6 | 6 | CARRIE UNDERWOOD Carnival Ride (Arista / Arista Nashville / RMG/SBN) | |||
| 7 | 5 | ROBERT PLANT / ALISON KRAUSS Raising Sand (Rounder ) | |||
| *8 | New | WILLIE NELSON Moment Of Forever (Lost Highway ) | |||
| 9 | 10 | KENNY CHESNEY Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates (BNA / SBN) | |||
| 10 | 11 | REBA MCENTIRE Reba Duets (MCA Nashville / UMGN) | |||
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
| Top Heatseekers Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| *1 | New | AIRBOURNE Runnin’ Wild (Roadrunner ) | |||
| 2 | 4 | DRAGONFORCE Inhuman Rampage (Sanctuary / Roadrunner) | |||
| 3 | 1 | BLACK MOUNTAIN In The Future (Jagjaguwar ) | |||
| *4 | 6 | MGMT Oracular Spectacular (Columbia / Sony Music) | |||
| *5 | New | GENERATION UNLEASED Generation Unleashed: Portland, OR. USA: Live Worship (Maranatha! ) | |||
| *6 | New | LOUIS XIV Slick Dogs And Ponies (Pineapple / Atlantic / AG) | |||
| *7 | New | JOSH KELLEY Special Company (DNK ) | |||
| 8 | 9 | FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH The Way Of The Fist (Firm ) | |||
| 9 | 7 | NICK SWARDSON Party (Comedy Central ) | |||
| 10 | 3 | NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS Hernando (Songs Of The South ) | |||
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
| Top Pop Catalog Albums Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| *1 | New | STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN All About Love (Sparrow ) | |||
| *2 | 6 | TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS Greatest Hits (MCA / UMe) | |||
| 3 | 1 | GUNS N’ ROSES Greatest Hits (Geffen / IGA) | |||
| 4 | 2 | BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers (Tuff Gong / Island / UMe) | |||
| *5 | 5 | JOURNEY Journey’s Greatest Hits (Legacy / Columbia / Sony BMG) | |||
| 6 | 4 | MICHAEL BUBLE It’s Time (143 / Reprise / Warner Bros.) | |||
| 7 | 8 | BON JOVI Cross Road (Mercury / UMe) | |||
| *8 | 12 | RASCAL FLATTS Me And My Gang (Lyric Street / Hollywood) | |||
| 9 | 7 | PINK FLOYD Dark Side Of The Moon (Capitol ) | |||
| 10 | 9 | ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING Wicked (Decca Broadway / Decca) | |||
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
A LOOK AHEAD
• Among the titles released this week, due on next week’s charts: Jack Johnson’s “Sleep Through the Static,” Sheryl Crow’s “Detours,” kd lang’s “Watershed,” Hot Chip’s “Made in the Dark” and Kenny G’s “Rhythm and Romance.”
• Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2007 when: Fall Out Boy’s “Infinity on High” bowed at No. 1 with 260,000. Norah Jones’ “It’s Too Late” shifted down one spot to No. 2 with 236,000. Ashley Tisdale’s “Headstrong” began at No. 5 with 64,000 while Jason Michael Carroll’s “Waiting in the Country” landed at No. 8 with 58,000. The top two albums sold more than 100,000.