A RE-FROZEN CHART

Disney’s Frozen once again rules the HITS Album Sales Chart this week, shoveling another 158k (-22%) atop a retail snowpile that’s rapidly nearing the 2 million mark.

The Top 10 is mostly virgin snow this week, however, as no fewer than six debuts land on the leaderboard.

Leading the new-release charge at #2 is RCA/Sony Latin Iberica’s Shakira with 85k. This is very close to the first-week number for her 2009 release, She Wolf, which has since moved 480k. At #3 is Out Among the Stars, Sony Legacy’s set of 1984 material by the legendary Johnny Cash, with an impressive 52k. Rise’s devout rockers Memphis May Fire bow at #4 with 31k.

Columbia’s Pharrell gets 25k happier (-27%), good for #5. He’s followed by two more worshipful debuts, these from Capitol’s Kari Jobe, who debuts at #6 with 21k and eOne’s Erica Campbell (#7, 21k). CTE/Def Jam’s YG comes next with 21k (-65%), then Lava/Republic’s Lorde (#9, 20k, -15. Pop icon Barry Manilow, bowing on the chart with Night Songs on the Stiletto label, rounds out the Top 10 with19k.

In a week when no chart veterans gained ground, Shady/Aftermath/Interscope’s Eminem (#22) gets honorary greatest gainer laurels by remaining flat.

Streeting this week are Capitol’s Pop sensation 5 Seconds of Summer—which may well dethrone Frozen on next week’s chart—Epic’s Chevelle, Columbia’s MKTO, Warner Nashville’s Dan & Shay and Nonesuch’s Nickel Creek, among others.

In other music news, Russia has announced it is annexing the Polka chart.