Furtado Scores First Chart-Topping Album
June 28, 2006, 11:00 AM ET
Katie Hasty, N.Y.
Bowing at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, Nelly Furtado's "Loose" is the sole album to sell more than 100,000 copies this week in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The Mosley Music/Geffen set shifted 219,000 units, earning Furtado her best single-week sales and her first No. 1 on the big chart.
The album's first single, "Promiscuous" featuring Timbaland, has been inescapable on radio and has peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Furtado's 2000 debut, "Whoa, Nelly!," peaked at No. 24, while her 2003 sophomore set, "Folklore," topped out at No. 38.
Underoath's third full-length effort, "Define the Great Line," debuts at No. 2 and takes over the No. 1 spot on the Top Rock Albums and Top Christian Albums charts. Without the benefit of radio airplay, The Tooth & Nail album sold 98,000 copies in its first week. "Define the Great Line" is the highest charting Christian album on The Billboard 200 since LeAnn Rimes' "You Light Up My Life -- Inspirational Songs" sat at No. 1 for three non-consecutive weeks in 1997.
The Dixie Chicks' "Taking the Long Way" (Columbia) slips 2-3 with 87,000 units, a 33% drop in sales from the previous week. Keane's second Interscope album, "Under the Iron Sea," moved 75,000 copies in its first week to open at No. 4. This far surpasses the U.K. rock trio's 2004 debut, "Hopes and Fears," which opened at No. 173 and eventually reached No. 45.
After entering at No. 1 last week, Busta Rhymes' Aftermath release "The Big Bang" tapers off to No. 5 with a 67% sales decline at 69,000. After 24 weeks on the Billboard 200, the soundtrack to Disney's "High School Musical" falls 4-6 with 66,000 (-17%).
Field Mob scores its first top 10 entry with "Light Poles and Pine Trees" after partnering with Ludacris and his Disturbing Tha Peace label. The group has earned better chart positions with each subsequent release: 2001's "613: Ashy To Classy" opened at No. 195, while 2002's "From Tha Roota To Da Toota" debuted at No. 33.
Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere" finally cracks the top 10 tier in its seventh week on the chart, ascending 11-8 with 58,000, despite a 9% drop in sales. AFI's Tiny Evil/Interscope release "Decemberunderground" continues downward, moving 3-9 with 57,000 (-45%). The soundtrack to Disney's Pixar-animated film "Cars" slows down 6-10 with at 25% sales hit at 59,000.
R&B singer Donell Jones' "Journey of a Gemini" bows at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, a first for him, and enters at No. 15 on The Billboard 200. The LaFace set moved 49,000 copies. Other big debuts include Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled debut on Capitol (No. 17, 40,000), Guster's Reprise set "Ganging Up on the Sun" (No. 33, 30,000), Madonna's "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret" (No. 33, 25,000) and the Motown soundtrack to "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (No. 40, 21,000).
At 9.3 million units, overall CD sales were down 10% from the previous week and down 8% compared to the same week a year ago. Sales for 2006 are down 4% compared to 2005 at 261 million units.
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