Il Divo Top the Chart
Il Divo’s second effort, Ancora, topped the chart with 156,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. This is a new high for the international classically trained boy band assembled by American Idol judge Simon Cowell: Their self-titled debut peaked at Number Four last spring. And in second place — in a week of shrugging off the sophomore slump — is country artist Josh Turner’s second release, Your Man, which marks his crossover into the pop Top Ten, with 102,000 CDs sold.
Last week’s chart-topper, Jamie Foxx’s Unpredictable, was bumped down to Number Three (100,000) after weeks of playing musical chairs for the top spot with R&B diva Mary J. Blige. Blige’s latest hit album, the big-seller The Breakthrough, dropped two places to Number Four (98,000).
In a week of diverse debuts, other big openers include the second major-label album from Florida pop-punks Yellowcard, Lights and Sounds, which sold 90,000 copies to land at Number Five; and rap-metal outfit P.O.D.’s “Testify,” which bowed at Number Nine (58,000), making for their third consecutive Top Ten album. Rounding out the big debuts is the latest in a seemingly endless string of blockbuster Now That’s What I Call Music! compilations — this time of Number One hits, from the likes of Gwen Stefani, Nelly and Jennifer Lopez — which moved 90,000 units to land at Number Six.
Meanwhile, British crooner James Blunt’s debut, Back to Bedlam, slipped right back out of the Top Ten, down one place to Number Eleven (49,000) — as did R&B newcomer Chris Brown’s self-titled debut, down five spots to Number Twelve (47,000). Canadian rockers Nickelback’s All the Right Reasons dropped seven places, to Number Thirteen (46,000), and the Notorious B.I.G’s posthumously released Duets: The Final Chapter — which sports beyond-the-grave collaborations with rappers like Jay-Z, Eminem and Snoop Dogg — finally left the Top Ten, falling seven spots to Number Fifteen (40,000).
Likewise, Mariah Carey’s Grammy-nominated runaway hit, The Emancipation of Mimi, fell six spots to Sixteen (39,000) — but expect the upcoming Grammy ceremony, and her predicted multiple wins, to give that album yet another commercial boost.
This week’s Top Ten: Il Divo’s Ancora; Josh Turner’s Your Man; Jamie Foxx’s Unpredictable; Mary J. Blige’s The Breakthrough; Yellowcard’s Lights and Sounds; Now That’s What I Call Music! #1’s; Carrie Underwood’s Some Hearts; Eminem’s Curtain Call; P.O.D.’s Testify; High School Music: Original Soundtrack.