On the Charts: Colbie Caillat Breaks Through to Number One
The Big News: Colbie Caillat’s Breakthrough proved to be just that as the “Fallin’ For You” singer’s second album became her first to debut atop the Top 200, selling 106,000 copies. The sales more than double the first-week numbers of Caillat’s 2007 debut LP Coco, which entered the charts at Number Five with 51,000 copies. Coco went on to achieve double platinum status. Debuts were the trend this week as four of the Top Five were fresh releases: Christian rockers Skillet debuted in Number Two as Awake moved 67,000, Miley Cyrus’ Time of Our Lives EP grabbed Number Three and Imogen Heap’s Ellipse entered at Number Five. Kings of Leon’s Only By The Night filled out the Top Five at Number Four and a 15 percent sales gain over last week.
Over on the Comprehensive Albums chart, where Michael Jackson’s discography applies, the King of Pop’s Number Ones sold an additional 68,000 copies and was defeated only by Caillat’s Breakthrough. Whereas recent weeks have seen a decline in Jackson sales, the Jackson catalog actually had a small surge this week — likely due to Jackson’s global birthday tributes — and Thriller lead the way with a 42 percent sales increase, good for 35,000 more copies and a Number Nine spot on the Comprehensive chart. Finally, give a curtain call to the Black Eyed Peas as their historic run of 21 weeks atop the Hot 100 ended as Miley Cyrus’ “Party In the U.S.A.” edged out the BEP’s “I Gotta Feeling” for the top spot.
Debuts: Outside of the Top Ten, founder Destiny’s Child member LeToya led the charge as her Lady Love came in at 12 with 32,000 copies. The Arctic Monkeys, however, took a sales step backwards with Humbug, which only mustered a Number 15 debut. By comparison, 2007’s Favourite Worst Nightmare peaked at Number Seven. Other debuts in the Top 20 include Ingrid Michaelson’s Everybody at 18, Matisyahu’s Light at 19 and Needtobreathe’s The Outsiders at 20.
Last Week’s Heroes: With six new albums in the Top 10, the top of the charts underwent a major facelift since last week. Last week’s Number One, Reba McEntire’s Keep On Loving You dropped down to Six, but the week’s biggest plunge was reserved to Third Eye Blind’s Ursa Major, which pulled a disappearing act by falling from Number Three to 45 in the span of seven days, thanks to a 77 percent sales dip. For the first time in seven weeks, Daughtry’s Leave This Town found itself out of the Top 10, landing at 13.
Next week, we’ll find out how big of a comeback Whitney Houston had with I Look to You.
