On the charts: Michael Buble bubbles to the top, Kiss stays steady

Oprah Winfrey continues to wield her power to influence the music industry. Pop vocalist Michael Bublé appeared on  "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Friday, and -- violà! -- his album lands atop the U.S. pop chart less than one week later.

This is his second chart-topper, Billboard reports, but "Crazy Love" accomplished such a feat with just three days of sales.The album was released off-cycle on Friday, as opposed to the standard music biz release day of Tuesday, and Nielsen SoundScan tracks sales data through Sunday evening. Bublé's "Crazy Love" sold 132,000 copies, according to SoundScan.

Meanwhile, Bublé's past efforts continue to put up solid numbers. Though not reflected on the current pop chart, Bublé has two albums in the top 30 on Billboard's Top Catalog Albums tally. His 2005 release "It's Time" sold just fewer than 5,000 copies this week, giving it a to-date total of 3.2 million. His 2007 effort "Call Me Irresponsible" added another 4,000 copies, bringing it to a total of 1.9 million.

The ballad-focused crooner tends to fly under the radar for someone who puts up such blockbuster numbers. His release wasn't the flashiest to land on this week's pop charts, and yet it still beat out such veteran brand-news as Kiss and Toby Keith. 

Other notables from this week's sales chart:

On the charts: Pearl Jam's Target adventure, Phoenix rising and Whitney's steady

Return to form: With "Backspacer," Pearl Jam scores its first No. 1 album in 13 years, Billboard reports. The set sold 190,000 copies in its first week in stores, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's Pearl Jam's first release outside the major label system, but the band wasn't exactly going the DIY-route. In a move that surprised fans, Pearl Jam lined up with big box retailer Target for the exclusive release.

Long associated with an anti-corporate stance, Pearl Jam avoided major fan criticism by still allowing the album to be sold at indie shops and Apple's iTunes store. While "Backspacer" failed to land on the chart with the same impact of 2006's self-titled effort, which opened with 279,000 copies, it is on par with Target's other recent exclusive. Earlier this year, Prince went with the retailer, and ended up with the album "LotusFlow3r" landing at No. 2 after selling 168,000 copies.

Diva tales: It's another solid week for Whitney Houston. Her "I Look to You" is at No. 4 this week, selling 66,000 copies. That's a dip from last week, when she sold 156,000 copies -- a post-"Oprah" sales bump -- but brings her total to 620,000 copies sold to date. That's good news for Houston as the industry heads into the holiday season. With depressed sales making it relatively easy for a brand-name artist to stay in the top 20, Houston should be on target to rack up a bevy of Grammy nominations if she can maintain a consistent sales base.

Expect her to be joined on the chart next week by another diva -- Mariah Carey. Digital downloads of Carey's "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" are expected to be solid, as the album is currently retailing at Amazon.com for a budget price of $5.99. But album sales may not be a real indicator for the success of "Angel," as it's a truly ad-supported release, coming complete with sponsored liner notes.

Album review: Mariah Carey's 'Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel'*

She shows off her talent by coming off as just another girl at the nail salon.

On her recently leaked and soon-to-be-released 12th studio album, Mariah Carey and her latest producers, Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Tricky Stewart, attempt to get at something by distilling it. They're seeking the Essence of Mimi, the liquor in the oyster of Carey's famously luscious voice.But instead of showcasing this musical Olympian's dazzling way with a vocal run or her nearly unmatchable whistle register -- obvious choices when it comes to Carey's talent -- she and her team tune into a particular tone, the one that earned her another nickname, Honey.

There's a breathiness to this album that's not only sexy but emotionally intimate. Heavy on slow jams, quiet confessions and kiss-offs closer to the work of the rappers she admires than to Carey's soul sisters, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" capitalizes on an underrated aspect of the singer's talent: Her ability, even when she's scaling vocal heights, to still come off as just another girl at the nail salon.

Carey's lyrics -- she co-writes everything here, except for her fairly unremarkable cover of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" -- make this point most obviously. Even when fully dressed in the armor of her glamour, as when she advises an ex (Eminem? More likely it's Latin pop star Luis Miguel) to "pretend you on a sofa, and I'm on MTV" when he spies her walking by.

Carey still compulsively shares details about her runny mascara and her appetite for Duncan Hines yellow cake. "Bubble baths on the jet" might be a ridiculous fantasy, but it's not at all elitist. Any real housewife or career girl has been in that daydream.

Fall preview: Autumn's must-hear music

Autumn is a glutton's feast for pop fans, full of blockbuster albums, buzzed-about debuts, spectacular arena tours and rare small-venue performances. This year offers the usual mix of veterans aiming for another moment of impact, and young pretenders working to make a mark in an ever-widening field.

That's good news for those with eclectic tastes: no one subculture dominates right now, so the listening is best for people who are a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll -- and a little bit dance and folk and Latin, too. What follows is a look at the best bets for recorded and live music in the coming months, album release dates subject to change, of course.

Mariah Carey bets on nostalgia, covering Foreigner

Perhaps realizing that the focus should be less on Mariah Carey's feud with Eminem and a bit more on the pop diva, more hints were dropped today about the singer's upcoming "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel." The ad-supported album, which was originally set for Aug. 25, is now due to be released Sept. 29.

The second single from Carey's "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" will apparently be a cover of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" (perhaps tackling "Don't Stop Believing" would have been a too-obvious choice of pandering). The news was first reported by Roger Friedman, and his article has since been posted on Carey's official website. 

This isn't the first time Carey has covered an '80s ballad -- see her take on "I Still Believe" above. The latter gave Carey yet another top 10 hit, a status that has thus far eluded her "Obsessed." But it's far from a tanker, as the song is holding steady at No. 14.

Mariah Carey and the product placement album

Buying the new Mariah Carey album is going to be an experience akin to dining at the Cheesecake Factory. Copies of forthcoming "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" will come bundled with a 34-page booklet --- a "co-production with Elle magazine," is how Billboard words it -- that will feature advertisements from major luxury brands alongside the typical CD liner notes.

It's a development, perhaps, a little less shrewd and a bit more transparent than Chris Brown disguising singles as an ad for chewing gum, but one that has the potential to become more prevalent. The Island Def Jam Music Group will be watching the success of the program and is "eying bigger brand deals for booklets of CDs by Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Kanye West" and more, writes Billboard.

When rappers attack: Eminem fires back at … Mariah Carey?

It’s official: Eminem and Mariah Carey had a relationship. There’s simply no other explanation why two full-grown pop stars would so publicly go at each other the way they do (see Carey's most recent video, "Obsessed"). It’s like a real-life remake of “The War of the Roses” on steroids and excessive video budgets.

But with the release of the aptly titled “The Warning,” (the song is the very definition of NSFW), the Eminem that rose to the top of the rap game with steely-eyed psychosis and dazzling vocal dexterity over a top-shelf Dr. Dre loop has suddenly come back to light.

Eschewing the odd pseudo-Jamaican inflection so rampant on “Relapse,” Eminem spins an elaborate and graphic recount of his side of the relationship with a passion sorely lacking from most of his latest release. Gleefully hurling threats of releasing incriminating photographs and phone messages, he takes no prisoners during the caustic verbal assault. Expectedly, Carey’s husband Nick Cannon gets thrown under the bus during the melee as well.

But in classic Slim Shady style, he lyrically goes at himself as aggressively as anyone in his purview, admitting to a lack of sexual prowess and having no game at all in his dealings with Carey.

Dr. Dre steps up too, with a haunting piano-based beat reminiscent of his work on “2001,” the perfect setting for Eminem’s wrath. It would seem that both have been holding out on us, if this song is any indication. The use of Carey's vocal samples in the mix is an effective and ironic touch. The two could easily produce a hit single together, that’s for sure.

In Eminem’s case, inspiration is key. Stewing in the old K-Mart mansion outside Detroit and self-medicating in the aftermath of losing his best friend and mentor Proof didn’t leave him much to talk about on “Relapse.”

But having an international pop star sink piles of cash into calling him out on video definitely did the trick.

Mariah Carey, Eminem fans salute you.

-Scott T. Sterling

Photo credit: PRNewsFoto/Interscope Records

As subtle as being hit by a bus: Mariah Carey's 'Obsessed' video

One has to give Mariah Carey credit here. She certainly knows how to stay in the headlines. Her first single from her upcoming album, "Obsessed," may or may not be a response to Eminem's recent "Bagpipes From Baghdad," and in the clip, she may or may not be dressing up as Eminem. 

Husband Nick Cannon says he's not totally positive but is pretty sure she isn't. And Carey took to Twitter to clarify the issue, writing: "I am NOT at any point in the video playing a specific person. I'm dressed as a 'stalker' in 3 different ensembles." All well and good, but it's still a stalker that looks an awful lot  like Eminem, what with the hoodie and hip-hop mannerisms in front of a set that occasionally looks like it was ripped from Eminem's "Stan" video. Oh, celebs and their feuds. 

You can watch it below (for now), or see a cleaner version tonight during NBC's "America's Got Talent." Yahoo initially said the clip would be available online Tuesday night, but it hasn't materialized, at least officially. 

But if the song saw Carey dropping one-liners at her undisclosed obsessee, labeling him "delusional" and snapping "You're a mom and pop / I'm a corporation," the video, directed by frequent Carey collaborator Brett Ratner, seems more about fear. The Eminem lookalike is tailing Carey out on the street, and there he is again in one of Carey's photo shoots -- representing anyone and everyone who isn't part of Carey's circle. 

Rather than highlight the snappy put-downs of the song, it showcases the closed-off inner-sanctums of the rich and famous. But Carey still gets her revenge, albeit with the help of public transportation, in a somewhat abrupt and uncomfortable ending.

Mariah Carey: Are we 'Obsessed'?

What: Mariah Carey's "Obsessed," the first single off her upcoming album.

How is it: This is a feistier Mimi than we're used to, as she comes out firing in the song's opening moments. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" questions an obviously irritated Carey. 

Is she lashing out at Eminem? The gossip hounds? A simple scolding at a new breed of pop divas? It doesn't really matter. Either way, it will help Mariah stay in the headlines for weeks to come -- long enough to fuel hype for her album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," which will be conveniently released (on Aug. 25) in time to make the cut for the new Grammy eligibility rules. 

With The-Dream and Tricky Stewart sharing production credits, Carey has been molded to fit current trends. The still-ubiquitous Auto-Tune is here (a look she played with on "E=MC2's" "Migrate); this time, it's used to bring a slight electronic manipulation to her trademark wails. No need to worry about hitting high notes when computers are all the rage these days, and the thick, pointed keyboards will allow Carey to fit comfortably on Top-40 play lists that are currently obsessed with Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."  

Ultimately, that's the point here, as this seems like a tune pointedly designed to get radio play and provide us press types with some new topics to try to get Carey to address on the red carpet, which she will artfully deflect from now until mid-November. 

The song is put-down after put-down, with Carey declaring that she "ain't gonna feed you / Gonna let you starve," and the hard-not-to-quote, "You're a mom and pop / I'm a corporation." She doesn't really sound angry -- just a little bemused at her attackers, even if the high road would have been to ignore them. But the sophisticated route doesn't always generate hype, and "Obsessed" is certainly more lively than her earlier work with The-Dream (the bedroom slow-dance "My Love"). 

Unfortunately, it's an even more anonymous Carey than ever before. One of the biggest selling points of "E=MC2" was Carey dropping the over-the-top howling, and learning how to sing with a more restrained range. She thankfully left the showboating to the "American Idol" kids, and stayed closer to the rhythms. Yet "Obsessed" again sells out the songbird to her producers. 

-- Todd Martens

Photo: Island Def Jam