MAROON AT THE TOP!
Adam Levine takes a break from sleeping with the entire Maxim Hot 100 to record a few songs for Maroon 5’s new album, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, which debuts at #1 on this week’s HITS Top 50, sporting 427k in sales. That’s enough for it to leapfrog over last year’s chart-topper, WB’s Linkin Park, which drops to #2, with 191k.
It’s the band’s first album since Octone boss James Diener made his deal with A&M and moved the label over from J Records.
Epic’s Ozzy Osbourne bows at #3 with nearly 150k in sales, thanks to CD buyers getting two free tickets to the already-free Ozzfest tour this summer.
Def Jam/IDJ’s Young Jeezy Presents U.S.D.A.: Cold Summer is the week’s other top debut at #4, followed by Reprise emo-rockers The Used at #5.
The Top 10 holdovers include RCA/RMG’s Daughtry (#6), Reprise’s Michael Buble (#7), Arista/RMG’s Carrie Underwood (#8) and Avril Lavigne (#9) along with Def Jam/IDJ’s Ne-Yo (#10). Def Jam, Arista and Reprise all sport two entries in the Top 10.
Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack (#13), Asylum/Atlantic rappers Lil’ Boosie & Webbie (#18), Island/IDJ’s The Bravery (#24) and Capitol’s Beach Boys compilation Warmth of the Sun (#49) round out the Top 50 newcomers.
Daughtry (+53%) and Underwood (+15%) both show double-digit gains, thanks to the American Idol factor, as they each performed on the Fox show’s finale.
A&M/Interscope’s Fergie (#20, +20%), Roadrunner’s Nickelback (#22, +11%) and Geffen’s Shrek the Third soundtrack (#46-33, +14%) also boast upward mobility.
Next week, Jive/ZLG soul man R. Kelly emerges from the closet for his new album, Double Up, which is expected to grab the top spot on Tuesday’s HITS Album chart. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney’s Hear Music/Concord debut, Memory Almost Full, hits a Starbucks coffee joint near you the same day.
