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.

Continue reading "Chart Recap: Ciara Tops Album Chart" »

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