Jay-Z's "American Gangster," CMA artists rack up sales
Rapper Jay-Z made chart history this week, with his album inspired by the film "American Gangster," and winners/performers at last week's CMAs received some nice sales boosts. Here's a run-down of this week's music tally (all numbers courtesy of Nielsen SoundScan).
The news: Jay-Z became only the third artist in U.S. chart history to have 10 or more releases land at No. 1 on the chart, according to Billboard. His "American Gangster" bows at No. 1 after selling 435,000 copies. The rapper is now tied with Elvis Presley for the second-most albums to occupy the chart's pole position. Only the Beatles logged more No. 1 albums, with 19.
Jay-Z knocks the Eagles "Long Road of Eden" to No. 2 (360,000 copies), and fends of debuts from Garth Brooks ("Ultimate Hits" at No. 3 with 351,000 copies) and Chris Brown ("Exclusive" at No. 4 with 294,000 copies).
The soundtracks: While Jay-Z is tops on the chart, his album does not actually contain any music used in the film. But the actual "American Gangster" soundtrack didn't do too shabby, thanks to a nice, Diane Warren-penned single for Anthony Hamilton in "Do You Feel Me." The soundtrack enters at No. 36 after selling 21,000 copies.
Elsewhere, the deluxe edition of the soundtrack for "Across the Universe" slides from No. 45 to No. 56 (15,000 copies), the "Hairspray" is holding steady, down this week to No. 94 from No. 91 (10,000 copies).
The CMA Awards effect: No artist had a better post-award showing than young Taylor Swift (pictured), whose self-titled set rocketed from No. 26 to No. 8 after selling 68,000 copies. Of course, the album was just re-released as an expanded edition, a cheap ploy to inspire more sales.
Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride" is still in the top-10 (No. 5, 120,000 copies), and Reba McEntire's "Reba Duets" is performing well at No. 12 (55,000 copies). Only a few hundred copies behind, Sugarland shot back into the top-20 with "Enjoy the Ride," up from No. 28 to No. 13.
Elsewhere, Miranda Lambert's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" -- one of the better country albums released this year -- had a small boost, moving up from No. 181 to No. 131 (6,000 copies). Even further down, Kellie Pickler returned to the chart with "Small Town Girl" (No. 146, 6,000 copies), an album that debuted at No. 9 about one year ago.
Up: "Britain's Got Talent" winner Paul Potts illustrated the benefit of appearing on the "Oprah Winfrey Show." His "One Chance" soared from No. 115 to No. 23, a 382 % sales boost to 35,000 copies.
Down: As mentioned above, The Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" falls to No. 2, selling 360,000 copies in its second week, a 49% dip, bringing its two-week total to above the 1 million mark. It's worth noting, however, that the album is a Wal-Mart exclusive, meaning sales are likely being buoyed by other retailers, who are forced to stock their inventory from Wal-Mart.
Britney Spears' "Blackout" falls from No. to No. 7, selling 87,000 copies in its second week. "Blackout" suffered a 70 percent sales dip.
Ahead: Next week's chart will see the latest from Alicia Keys, "As I Am," as well as the return of Celine Dion with "Taking Chances."
(Swift photo courtesy Getty Images / Jay-z photo courtesy AP)
