NOEL STILL #1

Oprah may have anointed Barack Obama the One, but Josh Groban’s Noel is #1 for record retailers as the holiday season moves into full swing, selling another 568k.

The rest of the Top 5 stays pretty much the same, with J Records’ Alicia Keys (#2), ERC’s The Eagles (#3) and EMI’s Now 26 joined by Disney’s surging Hannah Montana 2 (#5).

Arista/RMG’s American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis is the only Top 10 newcomer at #9, joined by Disney’s High School Musical 2 (#6), Arista Nashville/RMG’s Carrie Underwood (#7), Pearl Records’ Garth Brooks (#8) and Big Machine’s Taylor Swift. That gives country music three of the Top 10, four, if you count the Eagles.

Other top newcomers include Rap-A-Lot/Atlantic’s Scarface (#18), Capitol’s Trace Adkins (#23), Atlantic’s Drama (#26), Columbia’s Wyclef Jean (#34), Universal Republic’s Godsmack (#37), Def Jam’s Ghostface Killah (#42) and Koch’s Styles P (#46), with Reprise’s Complete Clapton returning to the chart at #43.

There are a number of titles with major double-digit gains, with Andrea Bocelli’s Best of leading the way on Decca at +63%, moving #38-22.

Lyric Street’s Rascal Flatts (#14, +49%), BNA/SBMG Nashville’s Kenny Chesney (#47, +49%), Hollywood’s Jonas Brothers (#15, +46%), Disney’s Hannah Montana 2 (+45%), Hannah Montana (#20, +43%), High School Musical 2 (+41%) and High School Musical (#27, 41%) are also among the top gainers, along with Taylor Swift (+38%), Rounder’s Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (#28, +38%) and MCA Nashville’s Reba McEntire (#21, +35%).

Gainers of 25% or more include Universal Republic’s Colbie Caillat (#17, +26%), Island/Mercury Nashville’s Sugarland (#19, +26%), A&M/Interscope’s Fergie (#29, 27%), Interscope’s Soulja Boy (#32, +29%), RCA/RMG’s Daughtry (#33, +28%), Roadrunner’s Nickelback (#38, 27%), and Atlantic’s Kid Rock (#49, +28%).

Hitting retail this week are Cash Money’s Birdman, Columbia’s Omarion & Bow Wow, SRC/Universal Motown’s reformed Wu Tang Clan, Radio Killa/Def Jam’s The-Dream, J’s Mario and Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam’s Beanie Sigel.

The last big album of the year, Mary J. Blige’s Growing Pains, hits retail a week from Tuesday (12/18).