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Pop Rock Nation

Category: Charts

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  • Chart Recap: The January Dregs

    January has typically been no-man’s land when it comes to the music business. That’s never made much sense to me. I mean, wouldn’t you feel a bit more compulsion to release new music when there are folks running around with gift certificates and gift cards? It’s not like there’s not a precedent for music taking off at the beginning of a year. Way back in 1999, a young girl named Britney Spears released her first album right at the beginning of January, and that album went on to sell some 14 million copies. Not bad, huh?
    Hmmm..whatever happened to her, anyway??
    Moving right along, here we are in the first week of February, and the past couple of weeks of charts have looked like a hot mess. Not only are sales already behind those in 2007 by something like 10%, but there has not been one major release by a new artist through the whole month. While the chart figures have not reached the level of futility reached last year by the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack, they have come close, with only Radiohead’s 1/1 release marching over the 100,000 scanned mark over the course of January. Alicia Keys and the “Juno” soundtrack have traded places at the top with sales figures between 62,000 and 70,000. Numbers which, back in the heyday of the music industry, would have barely placed in the Top Ten.
    Thankfully, the triumverate of Jack Johnson, Sheryl Crow and Lenny Kravitz should give a healthy(er) glow to the first week of charts, with sales kicks also expected later in the month from Valentine’s Day and the Grammy awards.

  • Chart Action: Better Late Than Never

    Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving.

    This week’s chart is all about Alicia Keys, who tops the singles and albums charts in both the pop & R&B categories with her third studio album “As I Am”, and it’s first single “No One”. All of Keys’ four albums (including her 2005 “Unplugged” set) have topped the Billboard Albums chart, while “No One” marks her third #1 single, following 2001’s “Fallin’” and 2004’s duet with Usher, “My Boo”. Expect “As I Am” to have a fairly lengthy chart life, especially since Grammy darling Keys will not be eligible to take home any trophies from this album until 2009.

    And yes, you don’t have to rub your eyes. It is 2007, not 1977, and yes, Led Zeppelin and The Eagles are both in the Top Ten.

    While T-Pain continues to make waves on the singles chart by virtue of his sheer presence, the 12-8 move of Fergie’s “Clumsy” gives the singer her fifth Top 10 single from her album “The Dutchess”. As it has become harder for artists to repeatedly crack the Top 10 on the singles chart, Fergie’s achievement is noteworthy because she is the first female artist to draw 5 Top 10 singles from one album since Janet Jackson did it in 1993-1994. She is also the first debut artist to accomplish this feat since Paula Abdul and Milli Vanilli did it in 1989-1990

    This Week’s Top 10 Albums (all chart info courtesy of Nielsen Soundscan & Billboard communications)

    1) “As I Am” Alicia Keys
    2) “Noel” Josh Groban
    3) “Taking Chances” Celine Dion
    4) “Now 26” Various Artists
    5) “The Ultimate Hits” Garth Brooks
    6) “Long Road Out of Eden” The Eagles
    7) “Mothership” Led Zeppelin
    8) “American Gangster” Jay-Z
    9) “Carnival Ride” Carrie Underwood
    10) “Exclusive” Chris Brown

    This Week’s Top 10 Singles:

    1) “No One” Alicia Keys
    2) “Kiss Kiss” Chris Brown feat. T-Pain
    3) “Apologize” Timbaland feat. OneRepublic
    4) “Low” Flo-rida feat. T-Pain
    5) “Bubbly” Colbie Caillat
    6) “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” Soulja Boy Tellem
    7) “Good Life” Kanye West feat. T-Pain
    8) “Clumsy” Fergie
    9) “Cyclone” Baby Bash feat. T-Pain
    10) “Stronger” Kanye West

  • All Hail The King

    It’s a country music week on Billboard’s album chart, due to the broadcast of the CMA Awards last week. Just about every album that takes a jump on this week’s chart comes from that genre, with the key beneficiary being new artist Taylor Swift, , who jumps from 26-8 with her self-titled debut. Taylor won the evening’s Horizon award, given to promising young entertainers in the biz.
    The other big chart news comes from the top, where Jay-Z enters with “American Gangster”. This marks Jay’s tenth Number One album, which ties him with Elvis Presley for second place on the list of artists with the most trips to the top of this particular chart. Quite an amazing feat!
    On the singles chart, it’s all T-Pain, all the time. The Florida vocalist (I’m loath to call him an actual singer), earns yet another Top 10 single this week as his protege Flo-Rida jumps to the #6 position with “Low”. That gives T-Pain a “featured credit” on teh #1, 6, 7 and 8 songs this week. Maybe some day I’ll get the appeal.
    Early reports suggest that Alicia Keys will join Britney Spears and DMX next week as the only artists to top the charts with their first four releases.
    And isn’t it weird to see Finger Eleven in the Top 10 (and Good Charlotte a little further down in the Top 40) with the knowledge that their albums flopped hard?
    This Week’s Top 10 Charts (courtesy Billboard communications and Nielsen Soundscan)
    Top 10 Albums:
    1)American Gangster-Jay-Z
    2) Long Road Out of Eden-The Eagles
    3)The Ultimate Hits-Garth Brooks
    4) Exclusive-Chris Brown
    5) Carnival Ride-Carrie Underwood
    6)Noel-Josh Groban
    7)Blackout-Britney Spears
    8)Taylor Swift-Taylor Swift
    9)I-Empire-Angels & Airwaves
    10) B.A.R.S. (The Barry Adrian Reese Story)-Cassidy
    Top 10 Singles:
    1) Kiss Kiss-Chris Brown feat. T-Pain
    2) No One-Alicia Keys
    3) Apologize-Timbaland feat. OneRepublic
    4) Crank That-Souja Boy Tellem
    5) Bubbly-Colbie Caillait
    6) Low-Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain
    7) Good Life-Kanye West feat. T-Pain
    8) Cyclone-Baby Bash feat. T-Pain
    9) Stronger-Kanye West
    10) Paralyzer-Finger Eleven