USHER TO THE FOUR, HOOBASTANK FINDS A "REASON"

Usher continues to be the man.

The LaFace/ZLG soul superstar remains on top of the heap for the fourth consecutive week as his smash Confessions logs another 286k in sales. He should enjoy it, because next week, Bad Boy/Universal’s Mario Winans is on tap to dethrone him, while Columbia/CRG’s Prince unleashes his Musicology.

Capitol’s Now 15 holds steady at #2, with 121k sold, but the big story this week is Island/IDJ’s Calabasas, CA, rockers Hoobastank, who move 13-3 on the strength of their hit single, "The Reason."

Tower Records’ Kevin Hawkins, a big admirer of Donald Trump’s combover, commented: "Historically, the week after Easter sees a severe dropoff in sales, and this year was no different. Pretty much all of the top titles took a pretty hard hit. One of the few bright spots was the Hoobastank record, which just seems to be getting started. A huge multi-format single that’s proving to be one of the most reactive of the year."

The rest of the Top 10 was rounded out by Geffen’s Guns N’ Roses (#4), Columbia/CRG’s Jessica Simpson (#5), Virgin’s Janet Jackson (#6), Blue Note’s Norah Jones (#7), Wind-up’s Evanescence (#8), Roc-A-Fella/IDJ’s Kanye West (#9) and Columbia/CRG’s Lil’ Flip (#10).

All told, sales were down 20% from last week, and 20% from a similar week last year, though that was Easter weekend. Overall, Q2 numbers are up 5% over last year, while year-to-date 2004 figures are up 8%.

Chart newcomers included Artemis’ Sugarcult (#37) and Maverick’s Kill Bill Vol. 2 soundtrack (#49), while returnees included DreamWorks Nashville’s Tracy Lawrence (#43), S-Curve/EMI’s Joss Stone, Atlantic/Atl G’s T.I. and Blue Note perennial Norah Jones’ debut (#49).

Look for the Shady/Interscope blockbuster D12 World, featuring Eminem’s Detroit crew, to blow out of retail upon its release next Tuesday (4/27) on its way to a chart-topping bow.