SHELTON’S VOICE DOMINATES

The veteran Warner Bros. Nashville country artist has received a second life from his role on NBC’s surprise hit The Voice.

Based on one-day sales from those music retailers not developing their locations into Internet cafes, Shelton’s new album Red River Blue will be the #1 album on next week’s HITS sales chart, with a total estimated at between 110-120k. Which is more than three times the 32.6k opening week of 2010's All About Tonight, his last studio EP of new material.

Epic rockers Incubus’ If Not Now, When?, the Calabasas, CA, band’s seventh studio album, but first since 2006’s Light Grenades, is on target for 75-80k, about half of its previous total of 166k.

RCA Nashville’s Chris Young, winner of USA Network’s Nashville Star singing competition in 2006, releases his third album, Neon, with forecasts between 70-75k.

Universal Republic singer-songwriter and two-time Grammy winner Colbie Caillat releases her third album, All of You, with expected first-week sales in the 55-60k range.

Roadrunner British Columbia rockers Theory of a Deadman release their fourth album, The Truth Is…, which is looking at 30-35k in sales, the same total as the new release from Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic reunited ska-punks Sublime with Rome’s Yours Truly.

Album sales were down 18% vs. last week, up 2% vs. same week last year and still up 1% year to date. And if you factor in the TEA (with 10 tracks equaling an album), that total increases 3.7% (up 8.1m units).