Diddy Scores First No. 1 Album In Nine Years

 

October 25, 2006, 11:10 AM ET

Source: billboard.com

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

 

Diddy scores his first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 since 1997 this week with "Press Play." The Bad Boy/Atlantic effort also knocks Lloyd Banks' "Rotten Apple" from the throne on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart after only one week. "Press Play" sold 170,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the lowest first-week sum of Diddy's solo career.

 

Under his previous moniker Puff Daddy, his debut "No Way Out" also topped the 200 with a whopping 561,000 units in 1997. The follow-up, 1999's "Forever" (205,000) and 2001's "The Saga Continues" (186,000) both debuted and peaked at No. 2.

 

Evanescence's Wind-Up effort "The Open Door" keeps the No. 2 spot warm for a second week with 112,000 copies, a 31% sales decline. Pop youngster JoJo returns to the chart with her sophomore set "The High Road" (Da Family/Blackground) at No. 3. Moving 108,000 units, the set also trumps the No. 4 chart entry of her 2004 self-titled debut.

 

Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds," which topped the chart for two weeks earlier this month, jumps up 7-4 with 99,000, an 8% sales increase. Dierks Bentley arrives at No. 5 with "Long Trip Alone" (Capitol Nashville), which also bows at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.

 

The set shifted 82,000, good enough for his best sales week and Billboard 200 charting position to date; his 2005 release "Modern Day Drifter" began with 75,000 at No. 6. "Long Trip" was previewed by the single "Every Mile a Memory,"

which ascends 3-1 on new Hot Country Songs chart, to be posted tomorrow on Billboard.com.

 

After entering at the summit of the big chart last week, Rod Stewart's J Records release "Still the Same... Great American Rock Classics of Our Time" falls to No. 6 with 79,000 (-57%). Meanwhile, Hinder's "Extreme Behavior" continues to prosper in its 38th week on the chart, ascending 9-7 with 76,000 and a sales decline of less than 1%.

 

"American Idol" second season winner Ruben Studdard is back with "The Return" (J) at No. 8 with 71,000 units. His debut set, "Soulful," started at No. 1 in 2003 with 417,000, while the gospel-dominated follow-up "I Need An Angel" began at No. 20 in 2004.

 

Tony Bennett's "Duets: An American Classic" (RPM/Columbia) falls 5-9 with 68,000, a sales slip of 35%, while the Killers' "Sam's Town" (Island) rounds out the top 10, falling 6-10 with 62,000.

 

Bentley is not the only country star to enjoy a strong debut this week. Vince Gill impacts the chart with the four-disc album "These Days" (MCA) at No. 17, which sold 42,000 copies. Other big debuts include Frankie J's "Priceless" at No. 30 (Columbia, 26,000), Aeromsith's "Devil's Got a New Disguise -- The Very Best of Aerosmith" at No. 33 (Columbia, 23,000), Lonestar's "Mountains" at No. 37 (BNA, 22,000), Hi-Tek's "Hi-Teknology, Vol. 2: The Chip" at No. 38 (Babygrande, also 22,000) and Sarah McLachlan's holiday set "Wintersong," at No. 42 (Arista, 20,000).

 

 

Ludacris Holds Off Akon, Timberlake To Remain No. 1

 

October 26, 2006, 11:20 AM ET

Source: billboard.com

Clover Hope, N.Y.

 

Ludacris' "Money Maker" featuring Pharrell holds for a second week atop the Billboard Hot 100 after dethroning Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" last week. However, the Ludacris track is displaced from the top of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, as Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye" regains its No. 1 position.

 

Akon's "Smack That" featuring Eminem is the Hot 100's greatest sales gainer and rises 4-2. The cut also captures the top spot on Hot Digital Songs from Hinder's "Lips of an Angel," as the two swap positions, 2-1.

 

The Hinder track holds at No. 3 on the Hot 100 but rises 2-1 on the Pop 100, ending the seven-week run of "SexyBack," which falls to No. 3. "SexyBack" also drops 2-4 on the Hot 100, although Timberlake's new single "My Love" ascends 8-5 and is the chart's greatest airplay gainer.

 

Elsewhere on the Hot 100, the Fray's "How To Save a Life" drops 5-6, JoJo's "Too Little Too Late" warms the No. 7 spot and Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" descends 6-8. Diddy's "Come To Me" featuring Nicole Scherzinger enters the top 10 with an 18-9 leap and Nickelback's "Far Away" rounds out the tier at No. 10.

 

Diddy's "Tell Me" featuring Christina Aguilera lands the Hot 100 top debut at No. 62. Also bowing on the chart are Tenacious D's "The Pick of Destiny" (No. 78), Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" (No. 87), Cassie's "Long Way 2 Go" (No. 97) and RBD's "Tu Amor" (No. 99).

 

Dierks Bentley's "Every Mile A Memory" jumps 3-1 on Hot Country Songs, unseating Heartland's "I Loved Her First" as the two cuts trade positions. Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" leads Adult Contemporary for a second week, while on Hot Latin Songs, Wisin & Yandel's "Pam Pam" swaps 2-1 with David Bisbal's "Quien Me Iba A Decir."

 

Also swapping 2-1, Disturbed's cover of Genesis' "Land of Confusion" ends the five-week run of Stone Sour's "Through Glass" on Mainstream Rock. On Modern Rock, My Chemical Romance's "Welcome to the Black Parade" hops one rung to No. 1, replacing the Killers' "When You Were Young," which falls to No. 3 after two weeks atop the chart.

Overall CD sales are down 2.3% from last week's count and down 2.3% compared to the same week a year ago at 9.86 million units. Sales for 2006 are down 5% compared to 2005 at 423.5 million units.

Full US Album chart here http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21126

 

Full US Single chart here http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21125