Hits Daily Double

Hits Daily Double

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Alicia and Josh Groban Battle It Out for Next Week’s #1,

Jordin Sparks, Keith Urban Top Debuts

November 21, 2007

Pass the drumstick as J Records’ Alicia Keys and Reprise’s Josh Groban fight it out for the gravy.

Keys’ chart-topping As I Am and Groban’s Noel will battle it out for #1 on next week’s HITS album chart, with both in the 300-350k range heading into what retailers hope will be a profitable Black Friday.

Helping boost Groban's chances was an appearance on yesterday’s Oprah, where he sang two songs from the disc.

Jostling for top debut will be Jive/ZLG’s Idol-winning Jordin Sparks (125k-150k) and Capitol’s Mr. Kidman, unh, Keith Urban, with a greatest hits collection (125k).

Interscope’s OneRepublic, the L.A.-by-way-of-Colorado group fronted by hit songwriter Ryan Tedder, has stormed the charts thanks to Timbaland’s remix of their #1 smash, “Apologize,” and is looking at a first-week total of 70k, followed by Mercy Me, a group being boosted by a large Christian bookstore number, which could sell between 60-70k for their INO Records release, All That Is Within Me. The Grammy-nominated band from Texas has five previous albums, one of which has gone double-platinum and three others gold.

RBD, the co-ed Mexican pop group which gained fame from starring in the hit Televisa telenovela Rebelde, has sold over 10 million albums worldwide in a little over three years. Their latest for EMI, Empezar Desde Zero (Starting from Zero), looks like it could do between 35-40k, with a big Puerto Rican number.

Roc-A-Fella/IDJ Philly rapper Freeway is looking at 35k for his sophomore album, Free At Last, the long-awaited follow-up to his 2003 debut, Philadelphia Freeway.

Universal Republic is releasing Amy Winehouse’s U.K. debut, Frank, for the first time in the States, with early reports indicating it could do around 25k.

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From: Hits Daily Double