For what may be the last week of their seven-week reign, 'N Sync managed to hold on to the No. 1 spot on the SoundScan album chart for the week ending May 7 despite another close call from a No. 2 debut. Two weeks ago they dodged a bullet from Toni Braxton's comeback effort Heat, and last week the close call came from the Master P-led rap supergroup 504 Boyz.

Featuring Master P, C-Murder, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Krazy and Baby Girl, the No Limit posse's debut album, Goodfellas, came in at No. 2 with first week's sales of 139,000 copies, 50,000 shy of 'N Sync's No Strings Attached. Credit the group's smash bootie call anthem, "Wobble Wobble," currently No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart. Meanwhile, Braxton's Heat has cooled off significantly, dropping from No. 2 to No. 5 behind Sisqo's Unleash the Dragon and Joe's My Name is Joe.

Apart from 504 Boyz, the only other debut in the Top 40 belonged to Billy Joel's double live album, 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert, which bowed at No. 40 with sales of 31,000 copies. Farther down, Mary Mary's Thankful came in at No. 62 and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' debuted at No. 74 with the not-quite convincingly titled Pay Attention.

The only other significant chart action came from the handful of country albums that enjoyed a post Academy of Country Music Awards show sales boost. Top Female Vocalist winner Faith Hill moved from No. 25 back up to No. 16 with Breathe, her Top Male Vocalist-winning husband Tim McGraw jumped from No. 80 to No. 65 with Place in the Sun and non-winner George Strait, who performed on the show, moved from No. 43 to No. 32 with Latest Greatest Straitest Hits. Double winners the Dixie Chicks also moved a little, from No. 17 to No. 14, though they actually saw a slight dip in sales from the previous week.

From the top, it was 'N Sync's No Strings Attached (191,000 copies sold); 504 Boyz' Goodfellas (139,000); Sisqo's Unleash the Dragon (125,000); Joe's My Name Is Joe (120,000); Toni Braxton's Heat (118,000); Santana's Supernatural (108,000); Creed's Human Clay (89,000); Destiny's Child's Writing's on the Wall (76,000) and Jay-Z's Vol. 3 . . . Life & Times of S. Carter (75,000).

RICHARD SKANSE
(May 11, 2000)