After spending five weeks miles ahead of the nearest contender to the No. 1 throne, 'N Sync is finally starting to feel the heat of some serious competition -- literally. Last week's SoundScan figures showed sales of No Strings Attached jumping all the way up to 655,000 thanks to a blockbuster holiday weekend at record stores, but the following week found them back down to sales of 248,000 -- only 50,000 copies ahead of the new No. 2 album, Toni Braxton's appropriately titled comeback affair, Heat.

Fueled by the fire of the No. 1 R&B lead single, "He Wasn't Man Enough" (No. 2 on the Hot 100), Heat debuted with first week's sales of 199,000 copies. That's less last week's No. 2 debut, Joe's My Name Is Joe, but sales across the board were inflated last week due to holiday traffic. Braxton's first week's sales are the closest any one has come yet to the 'N Sync album (though to be fair, No Strings has now been holding on to the No. 1 spot for six weeks straight).

Braxton's debut aside, it was a humdrum week at record stores. Cypress Hill debuted at No. 5 with Skull & Bones (140,000 copies sold), Dr. Dre and DMX returned to the Top 10 (No. 9 and 10, respectively), Mya's Fear of Flying suffered from vertigo, debuting at a modest No. 15. The only other debuts in the Top 100 belonged to Neil Young's gentle Silver & Gold (No. 22) and Papa Roach's metallic Infest (No. 48).

Looking ahead, unless Braxton enjoys a second week's sales surge, 'N Sync should have at least one last safe week at No. 1. With luck, they may even weather the return of boyband granddaddies Hanson on May 9. But come the week of May 16, expect to see them waving bye bye bye to their throne; the only question is who will push them out -- Jive labelmate Britney Spears or rock underdog Pearl Jam?

From the top, the Top 10 for the week ending April 30 was 'N Sync's No Strings Attached (248,000 copies sold); Ton Braxton's Heat (199,000); Joe's My Name Is Joe (151,000); Sisqo's Unleash the Dragon (146,000); Cypress Hill's Skull & Bones (139,000); Santana's Supernatural (120,000); Destiny's Child's Writing's on the Wall (93,000); Creed's Human Clay (88,000); Dr. Dre's Dr. Dre 2001 (83,000); and DMX's And Then There Was X (80,000).

RICHARD SKANSE
(May 4, 2000)