Chart Recap: Ciara Tops Album Chart
Album sales increased 28% over last week but were down 5% over the same week last year. Columbia Records has seven titles in the Top 20.
Ciara's Evolution (La Face) debuted at #1 and was the leader of three debuts in the Top 10. Evolution sold 339,000 (2% digital). Eminem Presents: The Re-Up (Shady/Interscope) sold 308,000 (6% digital) and took #2. Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape took #3 with 242,000 (7% digital). Ciara's sales are good. Eminem's sales will raise some eyebrows, but remember, it's a legit mixtape and not a proper Eminem album. Gwen Stefani's first week was surprisingly low given her sales history, celebrity status and pre-release exposure (the Grammy Awards, for example).
The Dreamgirl's soundtrack (Columbia) debuted at #20 with sales of 92,000 (7% digital).
Some of this holiday's key releases had big gains last week. One of the week's biggest gainers was Il Divo's Siempre (Columbia), which increased 64,000 units units -- a 128% jump -- and rose to #6 from #16. Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong (Arista) increased 20,000 units -- an 18% increase -- and is now at #9. The Beatles' Love (Capitol) increased 5,000 units and has sold 570,000 in three weeks. In the Top 10, not dropping is almost as good as rising. Daughtry's self-titled debut (RCA) is proving to be a hit. It stayed level at 155,000 units. James Taylor's Christmas Album (Columbia) increased 44% and rose to #16.
Hip hop death watch: Jay-Z's Kingdom Come (Def Jam) followed a 79% drop with another 27% drop. In a week that saw increases from every other album in the top 20, Kingdom Come was the lone album that sold less. Its three-week total is 923,000.
Second-week fades: Clipse dropped 70%, Incubus sank 65% and Ying Yang Twins fell 59%. And that's it. Every other album still in the Top 200 rose in its second week. Even Twisted Sister's Twisted Christmas.
The full Top 20 after the jump.
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