Courtesy of the good folks at Billboard, here are this week’s Top 10 singles and albums:
Top 10 Singles:
1) “Love In This Club” Usher feat. Young Jeezy
2) “With You” Chris Brown
3) “Low” Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain
4) “Love Song” Sara Bareilles
5) “Don’t Stop The Music” Rihanna
6) “No Air” Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown
7) “Sexy Can I” Ray J. feat. Yung Berg
8) “Apologize” Timbaland feat. One Republic
9) “Independent” Webbie, Li’l Phat & Li’l Boosie
10) “Superstar” Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos
Top 10 Albums:
1) “Good Time” Alan Jackson
2) “Sleep Through The Static” Jack Johnson
3) “Discipline” Janet Jackson
4) “Float” Flogging Molly
5) “Warpaint” The Black Crowes
6) “Thriller 25” Michael Jackson
7) “New Amerykah: 4th World War” Erykah Badu
8) “Little Voice” Sara Bareilles
9) “As I Am” Alicia Keys
10) “Taylor Swift” Taylor Swift
And now some observations:
*Anyone notice that among the Top 10 albums, there are 3 Jacksons (and a Jack Johnson)? Now might be a good time for La Toya or Rebbie to start working on those comeback albums.
*Sara Bareilles, with appearances on the singles and albums chart, is officially the first breakthrough album of 2008. With Alicia Keys and Erykah Badu joining her in the Top 10 (and Amy Winehouse just behind at #11), it’s a good time to be a female singer-songwriter.
Video for Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song” here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MR5xv3pt7KI (explicit lyrics)
*Proof that the gap between major labels and non-major labels is lessening, the two top debuts of the week (at #4 and #5) are both distributed independently. This is Flogging Molly’s first Top 10 album ever, and the Crowes’ first in well over a decade.
*Usher spends a second week at #1 despite the fact that the video for “Love In This Club” hasn’t even been *shot* yet!! Who needs MTV??
*And is Ush coming back to snatch the crown Justin Timberlake stole from him?
*Jordin Sparks is the first “American Idol” champ to score two Top 10 pop hits from one album since…our very first “Idol”, Kelly Clarkson.
*Backpack rapper Lupe Fiasco scores his first ever Top 10. His second album, “The Cool”, has already outsold his 2006 debut (in only 3 1/2 months of release).
*Formerly known as Brandy’s little brother, singer/actor/adult film star Ray J. scores the first Top 10 pop hit of his decade-long career with “Sexy Can I”. The last time his big sister hit the Top 10 was back in 1999.