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"Usually live albums don’t have a new song that’s unique to the performance, but Alicia's ‘Unbreakable’ is extremely strong from this release. It’s really great to have a live album of this magnitude.”
——Wherehouse/Trans World’s Violet Brown

ALICIA KEYS UNPLUGS, GOES LIVE AND TOPS THE CHART

Nashville’s Gary Allan and Puerto Rico’s Rick Martin Also Make Significant Top 10 Debuts
Only three debuts in the Top 10 this week, breaking a three-week run of lotsa debuts—but it’s little surprise that Ms. Alicia Keys (J Records/RMG) tops the list with her new Unplugged album making it into the hands of 190k eager fans.

“It’s really great and unique to have a live album of this magnitude,” says Wherehouse/Trans World’s Violet Brown of the Alicia album. “Usually live albums don’t have a new song that’s unique to the performance, but ‘Unbreakable’ is extremely strong from this release. And it doesn’t hurt to have MTV playing it to death!”

The other two debuts include a nod to the cowboy-hatted side of consumerism via MCA Nashville’s Gary Allan (the latest in a long tradition of musical artists with two first names), who takes #3 with 96k, and the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” side of things via the return of Columbia/CRG’s Ricky Martin who comes in #6, selling 71k copies of his new “comeback” release.

Roadrunner/IDJ’s Nickelback saw sales drop almost 50%—not at all unusual for a second week in rockdom—but it was still enough to secure the Canadian rockers the #2 spot, with 166k. Also hanging tough are A&M/Interscope’s Black Eyed Peas, who saw a 16% spike, hitting #4, with 92k, and Roc-A-Fella/IDJ’s bear-huggin’ Kanye West, who jumps from #6 to #5, with 84k. Consider them both the acts who stayed...and stayed...and stayed...

A&M/Interscope’s Sheryl Crow drops two slots to #7, with 59k, while Atlantic/Atl G’s Twista drops four spots to #8, with 56k. Rounding out the bottom of the Top 10 are Epic Nashville’s Gretchen Wilson, dropping six spots to #9, with 55k (still significant enough to probably keep her future offspring in Skoal for years to come), and Def Jam South’s Young Jeezy, who jumps ten spots to #10, selling 54k, thanks to the smash single, “Soul Survivor” featuring Akon.

Other notable debuts: Winedark’s Sevendust at #16, with 46k; Maverick’s Story of the Year (hell, HITS is lucky if we get the story of the day!) at #18, with 45k; Verve Forecast’s Jamie Cullen at 21k; Epitaph’s Danger Doom at #46, with 21k; and Sugar Hill’s Dolly Parton (who was country when Gretchen was still a gleam in her pappy’s eye) entering at #50, with 19k of her new covers LP.

Watch for debuts next week from Rod Stewart, Ashlee Simpson, Stevie Wonder, Black Rob, Martina McBride, Depeche Mode and Rev Run.

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