RAY’S STROKE OF GENIUS

Like a double shot of Starbucks espresso, Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company (Concord) has zoomed back to the top of the weekly sales chart. That’s what happens when you’re a beloved American icon with a hit biopic and eight freshly minted Grammys. The final tally of 225k represents a post-Grammy spike of a whopping 214%. That number may not be the 250k retail was hoping for, but it was enough to squeeze Genius past Green Day’s American Idiot (Reprise), which the Grammys boosted by 62% to 211k, meaning the pop/punk conceptualists are very much alive (unlike Ray), as their new single kicks into high gear.

Other Grammy-related increases were registered by the Grammy Nominees 2005 set (Capitol), which moved #14-4 on 115k (+55%), Usher (LaFace/ZLG), which went #10-5, selling 107k (+23%), and Alicia Keys (J/RMG), which rocketed from #46 to #10 on 73k, a gain of 136%—that’s second only to Ray’s.

G-Unit/Aftermath/Interscope rapper The Game didn’t need no stinkin’ Grammy airtime, beating off (you’ll pardon the expression) the rest of the spikees to take #3 on sales of 129k. Republic/Universal’s 3 Doors Down, experiencing the typical week-two slippage and not having the Grammys to bolster sales, still managed to hold down #6 on 102k.

The 3% upward move made by John Legend’s Get Lifted (G.O.O.D./Columbia/Sony Urban), the #7 album, with 95k on the week, can’t really be attributed to his brief Grammy appearance. Nope, as our esteemed Editor in Chief has said of this talented newcomer, IT’S THE MUSIC, STUPID!!!

Rounding out the Top 10 were #8 Eminem (Shady/Interscope) and #9 Kelly Clarkson (RCA/RMG).

Just missing the Top 10 was #11 Maroon 5 (Octone/J/RMG), up 34% on a Grammy-aided 73k. Other Grammy-spike beneficiaries were #14 Gwen Stefani (Interscope), up 14% to 64k; #17 John Mayer (Aware/Columbia), up 98% to 61k; #20 U2, up 41% to 56k; and #21 Los Lonely Boys (OR/Epic), reentering the Top 50 on a 53k. Gretchen Wilson (Epic/Sony Nashville) hit #28 but was down 3% to 49k. Tim McGraw (Curb) jumped 25% to 49k, grabbing the #29 spot, while Kanye West (Roc-A-Fella/IDJ ) reentered at #33, as his release logged 48k..

Said Trans World’s Jerry Kamiler in his most romantic voice, “Ray Charles became the quintessential mature Valentine’s Day gift. But the Grammys surely impacted other artists, like Queen Latifah and John Mayer, as well. We’re getting nice follow-through on those titles again this week, and that’s a plus.”