Jamie Foxx Tops the Chart
Oscar-winning actor turned singer Jamie Foxx saw his second release, the R&B record Unpredictable, take the top of the chart in its second week out, with 200,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. With nearly 800,000 CDs moved, the Ray star’s first effort, which features guest spots from hip-hop superstars Kanye West, Twista, the Game, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, may break the million mark by its third week in stores. Foxx edged out last week’s Number One, R&B diva Mary J. Blige‘s The Breakthrough, which took second place with 193,000 units moved. Blige also stands to hit the million mark in no time flat.
If the top spots belong to new R&B, the runners-up this week are rehashed hip-hop. Eminem’s first-ever hits compilation, Curtain Call, climbed back up one place to Number Three (186,000), while the Notorious B.I.G.’s compilation of posthumous collaborations, Duets: The Final Chapter, dropped one spot in its second week to Number Four (150,000). Biggie’s third Top 10 album on the pop chart — and his second after death — features previously unused material from the vault reworked by stars including Jay-Z, Eminem and Snoop Dogg.
The rest of the chart brings the same holiday-season regulars: American Idol Carrie Underwood’s country debut, Some Hearts, held fast at Number Five (135,000); the twentieth installment of the massive hits compilation series Now That’s What I Call Music! climbed a place to Number Six (104,000); Canadian rockers Nickelback’s All the Right Reasons continued sticking to the Top 10 up two spots to Number Seven (103,000); Mariah Carey’s Grammy-nominated super-smash The Emancipation of Mimi dropped two places to Eight (102,000); and hip-hoppers Black Eyed Peas saw their big-selling Monkey Business climb back up two spots to Number Nine (98,000).
But chart favorite country star Kenny Chesney saw the end of a good run: His post-Zellweger release, the former chart-topper The Road and the Radio, has finally lost steam, dropping 11 places to Number 19 (59,000) after two strong months in stores.
Meanwhile, two young acts experienced a chart resurgence. Sixteen-year-old R&B singer Chris Brown’s eponymous debut, produced by hitmakers including Scott Storch and Jermaine Dupri, peaked at Number Two early last month and has now bounced back up to Number 10 (90,000) — in part sparked by recent TV holiday appearances, including a performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. And, boosted by loads of press and awards show appearances, Fall Out Boy’s punk-pop sophomore effort, From Under the Cork Tree, originally released last spring, has climbed another seven spots, to Number 11 (90,000). The Illinois four-piece may yet surpass the album’s previous Number Nine high.
Next week, watch to see if New York rockers the Strokes prove their anti-hipster naysayers wrong with their third effort, the looser, more emotional First Impressions of Earth. While some predicted the trendy band would flame out after a release and a half, here’s betting they have enough loyal fans to plant them in the Top 20.
This week’s Top 10 Jamie Foxx’s Unpredictable; Mary J. Blige’s The Breakthrough; Eminem’s Curtain Call; the Notorious B.I.G.’s Duets: The Final Chapter; Carrie Underwood’s Some Hearts; Now That’s What I Call Music! 20; Nickelback’s All the Right Reasons; Mariah Carey’s The Emancipation of Mimi; Black Eyed Peas’ Monkey Business; Chris Brown’s Chris Brown.