LUDA’S A WINNER

DTP/Def Jam/IDJ’s Ludacris climbs to the top of the HITS Album sales chart this week, as Battle of the Sexes debuts #1 with 136k in sales.

Luda was one of four newcomers to the Top 5, with Virgin/EMI’s Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, bowing at #2, chalking up 111k in sales, while Experience Hendrix/Legacy’s Jimi Hendrix collection of unreleased tracks, Valleys of Neptune (#4), and MCA Nashville’s Gary Allan (#5) sandwich the lone holdover, Capitol Nashville’s Lady Antebellum (#3), giving EMI Music two of the Top 5 albums.

The week’s other top newcomer is Columbia’s Broken Bells, the collaboration between The Shins’ James Mercer and Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, which bows at #8.

Epic’s Sade (#6), Interscope’s Lady Gaga The Fame deluxe edition (#7) and Black Eyes Peas (#9), along with Warner Bros. Nashville’s Blake Shelton (#10) round out the Top 10.

Other chart entries are registered by Sparrow’s Passion (#27), Hear Music’s Chieftains/Ry Cooder album San Patricio, Universal Motown’s “melodic hardcore group” Four Year Strong (#40) and Vagrant’s Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (#50).

Thanks to their runaway hit single, “Hey, Soul Sister,” Columbia’s Train re-enters the chart at #41, while XL/Beggars’ Vampire Weekend comes back on at #45, perhaps a reaction to their appearance two weeks ago on Saturday Night Live.

The week’s big winner is New West’s Crazy Heart soundtrack, moving #27-15, +23% after taking home Oscars for Best Actor Jeff Bridges and Best Original Song with Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett’s “The Weary Kind,” the theme to the movie.

This week’s release slate is scanty, with Universal Republic’s Flobots topping those CDs in-store today, while Island/IDJ’s Justin Bieber comes out next Tuesday (3/23), and LaFace/Jive’s Usher hits stores the following week (3/30).