Backstage Pass

Madonna lands her seventh No. 1 album this week, as "Hard Candy" (Warner Bros.) debuts with sales of 280,000 copies. Among all female performers, only Barbra Streisand has more chart-topping albums now, with eight.

"Hard Candy" pushes Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" down to No. 2, with sales of 95,000, and Leona Lewis' "Spirit" to No. 3, with sales of 84,000, making it all about girl power this week.

Lyfe Jennings' "Lyfe Change" debuts at No. 4 and Def Leppard's "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge" debuts at No. 5.

PHOTO: Madonna by Steven Klein for Warner Bros. 

Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" hangs on to the No. 1 spot for a second week, selling another 162,000 copies last week. Even with the 60 percent drop, her sales were enough to keep her ahead of Leona Lewis, whose "Spirit" is hanging tough at No. 2 and even showed a modest uptick in sales. Those sales probably won't be enough, though, to keep Mariah ahead of Madonna next week, when sales of her "Hard Candy" album, released yesterday, are tallied.

HBO stars Flight of the Conchords wing all the way up to No. 3 with their eponymous debut, which sold 52,000 copies. Ashlee Simpson's "Bittersweet World" debuted at No. 4, her first album not to hit No. 1, while Atmosphere's "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That --- Gold" rounded out the Top 5.

Mariah Carey had her biggest opening week ever with "E=MC2" last week, selling 463,000 copies to become the year's biggest one-week seller.

With the weakness of this week's new releases, Carey will likely hold on to the top slot, but will she be able to stay ahead of Madonna's "Hard Candy" album, which drops next week? Carey seems ready to give it a try, appearing on "Good Morning America" on Friday with a Times Square concert. 

"Mariah's an inspiration, the true definition of a star," said Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, Island Def Jam Music Group's chairman. "She continues to amaze us with every incredible new album she creates. Now Mariah has added another plateau of success to what has become her virtually unapproachable track record on charts around the world. She proves beyond a doubt that with talent, ambition, and sheer force of will, all things are possible."

Last week's No. 1, Leona Lewis' "Spirit" slips to No. 2 and Miley Cyrus' "Best of Both Worlds" zooms to No. 3 on the strength of her hosting duties at the CMT awards and her "Idol Gives Back" appearance. Country group Lady Antebellum debuts at No. 4 and the "Now 27" compilations rounds out the Top 5.

    With her new single “Touch My Body” hitting No. 1 this week, Greenlawn native Mariah Carey now has 18 chart-toppers, the second-most in pop music history, trailing only The Beatles with 20.
    However, as she gears up for the release of her new “E=MC2  album on April 15, Carey hesitates to think of herself in such elite company.
    “I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionized music but also changed the world,” Carey told The Associated Press. “That’s a completely different era and time ... I’m just feeling really happy and grateful.”
    “Touch My Body,” which reaches No. 1 on a record-setting one-week total of 286,000 digital sales, extends Carey’s run of chart-topping span to 17 years, longer than both The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Presley’s No. 1s ran from “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956 to “Suspicious Minds” in 1969, while The Beatles’ streak came between 1964 and 1970.
    Presley also gets passed on the list of artists with the most Top 10 singles, as Madonna’s new single “4 Minutes” becomes her 37th Top 10 single, rocketing from No. 68 to No. 3 this week.

PHOTO: Island Def Jam 

Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" (J) jumps into the No. 1 spot this week, pushing Usher's "Love in This Club"
 to No. 2, after her American television debut on "Oprah" boosted digital sales of her single 82 percent.

Lewis -- who won on "X Factor," the British equivalent of "American Idol" -- has already topped the charts at home and is set to drop her debut album "Spirit" in America on April 8.

Her seven-place surge to the top spot likely ended the No. 1 chances for Chris Brown's seemingly unstoppable "With You," which slides 2-4, passed by Ray J and Yung Berg's "Sexy Can I," climbing 7-3. Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" rounds out the Top 5.

Madonna's single "4 Minutes" debuted at No. 68, but should bust into the Top 10 next week now that it's available for purchase. 

PHOTO: Leona Lewis for J Records. 

Consider this band officially made.

Diddy's "Making the Band" protogees Danity Kane prove their No. 1 debut was no fluke returning to the top spot with "Welcome to the Dollhouse" (Bad Boy/Atlantic) this week on sales of 236,000.

The ladies kept the "Now 26" compilation at No. 2 for a second week, while last week's No. 1, Rick Ross' "Trilla," slipped to No. 3. Newcomer Flo Rida rode in at No. 4 with "Mail on Sunday," which sold 86,000 copies on the strength of the smash singles "Low" and "Elevator." Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" rounds out the Top 5.

Gnarls Barkley's new album "The Odd Couple" managed only No. 18 on sales of 31,000, after its release date moved up three weeks with little notice.

PHOTO: Danity Kane for Bad Boy Records/Atlantic. 

The reissue of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," celebrating the album's 25th anniversary with reworked versions by Kanye West, Akon, will.i.am, and Fergie, sold 166,000 copies last week, enough to come in at No. 2 on Billboard's album chart behind last week's winner Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static," which sold 180,000 copies.

However, because "Thriller" is considered a catalog release it is not eligible for Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. Instead, it moves to the top of the magazine's Pop Catalog Albums chart.

Boosted by her Grammy performance and five awards, Amy Winehouse moves into the No. 2 spot for the first time with her album "Back to Black," which sold 115,000 copies last week. Alicia Keys holds tight to the No. 3 spot with "As I Am" selling 109,000 copies.

Herbie Hancock enjoyed the biggest Grammy bump as "River: The Joni Letters," which won album of the year, shot into the Top 5, selling 54,000 copies.

Alicia Keys' "As I Am" album returns to No. 1 this week on sales of 61,000, pushing the "Juno" soundtrack to No. 2. This is the fourth non-consecutive week atop the charts for Keys, who should get another sales bump next from her stellar appearance before the Super Bowl, as well as from Sunday night's Grammys.

Rockers The Mars Volta debuted at No. 3 and Bullet for My Valentine entered at No. 4, while the Grammy nominees compilation began its chart run at No. 5 on sales of 50,000. The Hanna Montana remix album debuted at No. 7, while buzz band Vampire Weekend debut at No. 17 on sales of 28,000.

PHOTO: Alicia Keys for J Records.

In what should be seen as a frighteningly slow week, Alicia Keys returns to the  top of the Billboard album charts with "As I Am" (J) though sales dropped 38 percent to 70,000 copies.  Keys edged out Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (TBD/ATO), which sold 69,000 copies last week and the soundtrack to "Juno" (Rhino), which sold 68,000, and Mary J. Blige's "Growing Pains" (Geffen) with 64,000. Taylor Swift rounds out the Top 5, as her eponymous Big Machine album moved 35,000 copies.

 PHOTO: Alicia Keys for J Records.

Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (TBD/ATO) will debut at No. 1 next week on sales of 122,000, even though thousands of fans downloaded the album months ago during the band's pay-what-you-want download experiment.

Alicia Keys' "As I Am" (J) holds at No. 2, while last week's No. 1 "Growing Pains" (Geffen) from Mary J. Blige slips to No. 3.

In other Radiohead news, the band has confirmed the American cities it will play on its upcoming tour, but in true Radiohead form, it has done it in alphabetical order, without giving away the tour routing or the venue size. The tour will be in two legs, one before and one after the band's already confirmed British run in the summer.

PHOTO: Radiohead by Jonny Greenwood. 

After being held out of the No. 1 position by Josh Groban's holiday juggernaut "Noel" last week despite selling 629,000 copies, Mary J. Blige's "Growing Pains" (Geffen) moved to the top spot in the post-Christmas week, selling another 204,000 copies.

Alicia Keys returned to No. 2 with her "As I Am" (J) album, while Groban, now 2007's biggest seller, slips to No. 3. The "Now 26" compilation climbs to No. 4 and Chris Brown's "Exclusive" hits No. 5.

Sorry Britney Spears, that No. 1 crown isn’t yours after all.
    Though Spears seemed all set to claim her fifth No. 1 album yesterday, as her “Blackout” album sold 290,000 copies last week, a last-minute rules change by Billboard magazine now gives the title to The Eagles and their double album “Long Road Out of Eden.”
    Until this week’s charts, albums that were only available at a single retailer (The Eagles album is only sold through Wal-Mart) were ineligible for Billboard’s top album charts. However, The Eagles sold 711,000 copies of “Long Road Out of Eden” last week – the second-best opening sales week of the year behind Kanye West’s 960,000 sales of “Graduation” in September – and Billboard believed it was necessary to make the change.
    “We know that some retailers will be uncomfortable with this policy, but it was inevitable that Billboard’s charts would ultimately widen the parameters to reflect changes that are unfolding in music distribution,” Geoff Mayfield, Billboard’s director of charts, said on the trade magazine’s website. “We would have preferred to make this decision earlier, but only became aware within the last 24 hours that Wal-Mart would be willing to share the data for this title with Nielsen SoundScan.”
    The Eagles album will also top the magazine’s country charts, pushing past Carrie Underwood’s “Carnival Ride” album. The rule change will likely result in a handful of other albums making their first chart appearances this week.

PHOTO: Eaglesband.com 

“Dreamgirls” becomes the first soundtrack since “O Brother Where Art Thou” in 2002 to top the charts, but it does with a mere 66,000 in sales, the lowest total for a No. 1 since the Soundscan era started in 1991.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Though Jay-Z’s hefty 79% fall off from his opening week sales has some worried, H.O.V.A. still has the area locked down, as “Kingdom Come” holds down a second week atop the Newsday charts. The Beatles hang tough too, along with Tony Bennett. They all beat the national No. 1 Incubus’ “Light Grenades,” which sold 165,000 copies in its opening week.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Jay-Z's comeback album "Kingdom Come" (Roc-A-Fella) crushes all competitors, selling a massive 680,000 copies last week -- which was still a bit lower than anticipated, meaning country group Rascal Flatts will likely end the year with the one-week sales crown. Area sales for The Beatles' "Love" (Capitol) and U2's greatest hits were higher than the rest of the country, while sales of Daughtry's debut were a bit lower. And Tony Bennett's "Duets" album continues to be a strong seller in the area, rolling in at No. 5 thanks to interest from his NBC special.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

The Game took No. 1, as his “Doctor’s Advocate” (Geffen) sold 358,000 copies last week, beating out Akon’s “Konvicted” (SRC/Konvict), even with two singles in the Top 10. Fat Joe held down New York better than the rest of the country, as his “Me, Myself & I” (EMI) album came in at a strong No. 4, beating his national tally by 10 spots.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Josh Groban tops the Newsday charts with his new album “Awake” (143/Reprise), beating out Jim Jones’ “Hustler’s P.O.M.E.” (Diplomats) and the “Now 23” compilation, which was the top-seller across the country with sales of 337,000.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Barry Manilow's collection "The Greatest Songs of the '60s" (Arista) tops the Newsday charts, while the "Hanna Montana" soundtrack continues to dominate the national charts, selling 203,000 copies. Other veteran acts -- The Who, Meat Loaf and the surprisingly steady Tony Bennett -- did far better in the area last week than in the rest of the country.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

“Hanna Montana” mania may not be as frenzied on Long Island as it is in the rest of the country, as My Chemical Romance tops the Newsday chart with its concept album “The Black Parade” and John Legend’s “Once Again” comes in at No. 2. Nationally, the “Hanna Montana” soundtrack was No. 1, selling 281,0000 copies, beating My Chem (240,000) and Legend (231,000).

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Diddy lands his first No. 1 album since 1997 with “Press Play,” which sold 170,000 copies last week, finishing ahead of Evanescence (112,000) and a strong debut from JoJo (108,000).

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Queens represents for Jamaica’s Lloyd Banks, who tops the Newsday charts, while finishing at No. 3 (143,000 copies sold) nationally, behind Rod Stewart (184,000) and Evanescence (164,000).

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Two big sophomore efforts top the week's sales, as Evanescence sold 445,000 copies of "The Open Door" (Wind-Up) in its first week, beating out The Killers' "Sam's Town," which sold 315,000 copies.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

While Ludacris' "Release Therapy" (DTP/DefJam) topped the charts across the country, selling 309.000 copies, Long Island showed its love for Tony Bennett's "Duets: An American Classic" (RPM/Columbia) giving the singer the No. 1 spot on the Newsday charts.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump
PHOTO: Ken Spencer for Newsday

Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (Jive) remains at No. 1 for a second week with 217,000 copies sold, holding off a challenge from Clay Aiken's "A Thousand Different Ways," which opened with 205,000 sales.

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Justin Timberlake sells 684,000 copies of "FutureSex/LoveSounds" to land his first solo No. 1, beating out John Mayer's "Continuum."

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

No doubt about it, the week belonged to Beyonce, who sold 541,000 copies of "B'Day" (Sony Urban/Columbia), nearly 4 times as many as Audioslave's "Revelations" (Epic), which took a No. 2 debut nationally with 142,000 copies sold. Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" slides to No. 3 on 128,000 sold.

Full Billboard report

Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Bob Dylan tops the album chart for the first time in 30 years, as his excellent "Modern Times" (Columbia) album sells 192,000 copies to pass last week's No. 1 Danity Kane.

Full Billboard report

Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Diddy did it. His "Making the Band 3" girl group debuts at No. 1 on sales of 234,000 copies of its eponymous debut, beating out OutKast's "Idlewild" soundtrack, which sold 196,000 copies,

Full Billboard report
Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Christina Aguilera's double album 'Back to Basics' (RCA) debuts at No. 1 with 346,000 sales, leading
a slate of debuts taking over the Top 5. Country singer Trace Adkins debuts at No. 3 with "Dangerous Man," though he didn't make much of an impact in the New York area. His album didn't even crack Newsday's Top 25.

Full Billboard report

Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

After years of being on everyone’s most-promising-rapper lists, Rick Ross arrives with a bang, as his debut “Port of Miami” sells 187,000 copies. Breaking Benjamin takes No. 2 with “Phobia” on sales of 125,000.

Full Billboard report

Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

That pesky "Now 22" compilation spoils DMX's perfect record of No. 1 debuts by returning to the top spot with 127,000 copies sold last week. DMX's "Year of the Dog... Again" (Sony Urban) enters at No. 2 with sales of 126,000.

Full Billboard report here

Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

Six years after leaving Destiny’s Child, LeToya Luckett is back at the top of the charts with her debut album “LeToya” (Capitol), on sales of 165,000 copies. Pharrell’s “In My Mind” (Interscope) comes in at No. 3 with 142,000 copies sold and Tom Petty’s “Highway Companion” comes in at No. 4 with 112,000 copies sold.

Full Billboard report here

Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

The "Now 22" compilation hangs on to the No. 1 spot with 207,000 copies sold last week in a slow week. How slow? No. 2 went to Los Lonely Boys' "Sacred" (One Haven/Or) with 67,000 sales and No. 3 was country singer Rodney Atkins' "If You're Going Through Hell" (Curb) with 55,000 sales.

Full story

Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

The 22nd edition of the "Now" compilations debuts at No. 1 with nearly 400,000 copies sold last week -- more than four times more than its nearest competitor, Thom Yorke's "The Eraser" (XL), which lands at No. 2.

Full story

Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) after the jump

Johnny Cash's great "American V: A Hundred Highways" (American/Lost Highway) debuts at No. 1, giving The Man in Black his first No. 1 album since 1969.

TOP 5: 1. Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways" (American/Lost Highway) / 2. Nelly Furtado, "Loose" (Geffen) / 3. india.arie, "Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship" (Universal Motown) / 4. Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way" (Columbia) / 5. Gnarls Barkley, "St. Elsewhere" (Downtown/Atlantic).

Full story
Billboard report