On the Charts: Beyonce Proves Too Much For Nickelback, David Cook
The Big News: Beyoncé and her alter ego Sasha Fierce were victorious in a competitive, debut-heavy sales week as Mrs. Jay-Z and her double-disc I Am…Sasha Fierce sold 482,000 copies, roughly 160,000 more than the number two album, Nickelback’s Dark Horse. For Beyonce, it was her third consecutive chart-topping album. While American Idol winner David Cook didn’t debut as high as runner-up David Archuleta — Cook slotted at three this week while Archie placed two last week — Cook’s self-titled outsold Archuleta’s self-titled by about 100,000 copies in a first week comparison, raking in 279,000 units. Last week’s topper Taylor Swift and her Fearless dropped to four and Il Divo’s Promise checked in at five.
Debuts: Outside the major releases, Dido and her Safe Trip Home landed at 13, Mudvayne’s New Game grabbed 15 and Sammy Hagar’s Cosmic Universal Fashion came in at 94. Further down the charts, Phish’s live album At The Roxy sold 4,800 copies to take 148 and the Doors’ Live at the Matrix limped onto the charts at 191.
Last Week’s Heroes: It was a quick cameo in the Top 10 for David Archuleta as the tweens saw their boy hero plummet from two to 11 after only one week, thanks in part to a 64% sales dive from his debut week. T-Pain’s Thr33 Ringz had a similar fall, dropping from four to 12. With the heated sales battle between Guns N’ Roses, Kanye West, the Killers and Ludacris taking place now in record stores, expect next week’s numbers to be a shootout.
Related Stories:
• Album Review: Beyoncé, I Am…Sasha Fierce
• Album Review: Nickelback, Dark Horse
• Album Review: David Cook, David Cook