Josh Groban tops album chart
LOS ANGELES, California (Billboard) -- Singer Josh Groban reached the top of the U.S. pop albums chart for the first time on Wednesday as his latest release, "Closer," jumped 10 places to No. 1 in its ninth week.
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Sales of the Reprise Records set rose 34 percent to 110,000 copies in the week ended Jan. 11, bringing its total to just under 2 million units in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Proving the power of mass retailers, Groban's sales burst can be largely attributed to a campaign launched last week by general merchandise chain Target. Groban was the centerpiece of a sale that allowed consumers to buy two CDs for $20.
Otherwise, U.S. sales declined in the post-holiday season. Sales of the "The Diary of Alicia Keys," for instance, dipped 12 percent to 102,000 copies, enough to keep the J Records album at No. 2 in its sixth week of release.
Incumbent champ, OutKast's two-CD set "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" (Arista), fell to No. 3 on sales of 101,700 copies, a 33 percent decline.
No Doubt's "The Singles 1992-2003" (Interscope) rose one place to No. 4, despite a 10 percent sales decline to 89,000 copies, while Toby Keith's "Shock'n Y'all" (DreamWorks) scooted up four places to No. 5, even with a 2 percent sales drop to 82,000 copies.
"The Very Best of Sheryl Crow" (A&M) fell two places to No. 6 on a 22 percent sales dive to 80,000 copies. Taking an even larger hit was the 14th volume in the "NOW That's What I Call Music!" series (Universal/EMI/Zomba/Sony), down four places to No. 7 on a 35 percent drop 73,000 copies.
Second-season "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard rose two places to No. 10 with his J Records debut, "Soulful." The set sold 63,000 copies in its fifth week, a 24 percent dip from the previous week. Evanescence's Wind-Up debut, "Fallen," dropped two places to No. 9 on 29 percent decline to 61,000 copies, while Jay-Z's "The Black Album" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) rounded out the top 10 with a four-place dip on a 36 percent dip to 57,000 copies.
Beyonce's "Dangerously in Love" (Columbia) surged 12 places to No. 23 on a 5 percent boost to 55,000 copies, giving the solo debut from the Destiny's Child frontwoman a sales total of 2.6 million units. "Dangerously" was also a beneficiary of the Target promotion.
Michael Jackson's "Number Ones" (Epic) has been creeping back into the upper echelon of the big chart amid the publicity surrounding his arraignment Friday on child molestation charges. The album soared 24 places to No. 15 on a 22 percent sales spike to 47,000 copies, for a total of just under 500,000 copies after eight weeks. The entertainer, who has maintained his innocence, is free on $3 million bail.
Elsewhere, Australian band Jet's "Get Born" (Elektra), soared 74-43, and Shania Twain's "Up!" (Mercury), moved up 64-44. With MTV and radio exposure on the rise, Maroon 5's "Songs About Jane" (Octone/RMG) blasted 120-57 on a 21 percent gain to 19,000 copies. The act's 2002 debut has sold about 586,000 copies to date.
L.A.-based rock act Phantom Planet scored a career-best this week with its self-titled third album for Epic Records. The latest from the hipster favorite, which penned the theme to the Fox series "The O.C.," lands at No. 95. The group's "The Guest" peaked at No. 133 in 2002.
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Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
