Musiq Ushers Six Big Debuts Onto Album Chart

Six new albums debut in the top 10 slots of The Billboard 200, with R&B artist Musiq Soulchild's "Luvanmusiq" new at No. 1. The Atlantic set sold 149,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. Soulchild also hit No. 1 in 2002 with "Juslisen"; sales of the new album were fueled by the single "Buddy," which is in the top five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Fellow R&B crooner Lloyd soars in at No. 2 with his sophomore set, "Street Love" (The Inc.), which sold 144,000. The single "You" has already topped Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Lloyd's last record, "Southside," debuted and peaked at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 with 67,000, making this his best charting and sales week by far.

Rapper Rich Boy's self-titled Zone 4/Interscope debut bows at No. 3 with an impressive 112,000 units. The artist's breakthrough single, "Throw Some D's," is No. 27 on the Hot 100. Daughtry's self-titled RCA debut slips 3-4 on The Billboard 200 with a 3% sales hit (80,000) while Akon's "Konvicted" (SRC/Universal) falls 4-5 with 71,000 (-6%).

"Live at Massey Hall 1971," which captures a vintage Neil Young acoustic
performance in his Toronto hometown, enters at No. 6 with 57,000. The
Reprise set scores the second-highest album chart debut of Young's career;
only 1995's Pearl Jam collaboration "Mirror Ball" opened any higher, at No.
5. Young's prior archival release, "Live at the Fillmore East: March 6 & 7,
1970," debuted at No. 55 last November.

British R&B siren Amy Winehouse earns her first album chart ink with "Back to Black" (Universal) which debuts at No. 7 with 51,000 copies. Her track "You Know I'm No Good" has spent time on a number of Billboard's Bubbling Under charts, while the video has been in rotation on MTV, VH1 and VH1 Soul.


8Ball & MJG's "Ridin' High" (Bad Boy South) flies in at No. 8 with 50,000 units. The duo's last chart entry, 2004's "Living Legends," debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the big chart. Fall Out Boy's "Infinity on High" (Island) descends 8-9 with 43,000, a 26% sales decrease. Carrie Underwood's "Some Hearts" (RCA Nashville) re-enters the top tier with a 12-10 jump despite a 6% sales dip to 42,000.

Also new to the chart this week is British singer/songwriter James Morrison's "Undiscovered" at No. 24 with 24,000; 47% of those sales came from digital retailers. Veteran hard rock outfit Type O Negative scores its highest chart spot with "Dead Again" (SPV/Steamhammer) at No. 27, moving 22,000. The Fratellis' Interscope debut, "Costello Music," enters at No. 48 with 15,000. The buzzworthy group's song "Flathead" is featured in an iPod TV ad.

Album sales are down 1.8% from last week's total at 8.5 million units and down 18.7% compared to the same week last year. Overall album sales for the year are down 16.6% from last year at 99.2 million units.