Canada’s Nickelback ‘Right’ on top of U.S. charts
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Canadian rock band Nickelback scored the first chart-topping album of its career Wednesday, while new sets from Twista, Sara Evans, Fiona Apple and Franz Ferdinand also bowed in the upper reaches of the U.S. charts.
Nickelback’s “All the Right Reasons” (Roadrunner/IDJMG), the fifth full-length set of its career, sold 317,000 copies in the week ended October 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan data issued Wednesday.
The rock group’s previous high-water mark came with its 2001 breakthrough, “Silver Side Up,” which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold nearly 5.1 million copies. In 2003, “The Long Road” opened at No. 6 in 2003, and has sold 2.8 million to date.
Reigning champ Gretchen Wilson’s “All Jacked Up” dropped to No. 4. The country artist’s sophomore Epic album sold 120,000 in its second week.
Chicago rapper Twista took the album chart’s second slot with “The Day After” (Atlantic), though sales of 129,000 copies fell far short of its 2004 predecessor, “Kamikaze,” which opened at No. 1 with 312,000; it has sold 1.8 million to date.
“Real Fine Place,” Evans’ fifth RCA studio album, opened at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums list. First-week sales of 126,000 were a career best and the placing is the highest she’s seen on either album tally. The set follows 2003’s “Restless,” which started at No. 20 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 917,000 units to date.
Sheryl Crow’s “Wildflowers” (A&M) dropped three places to No. 5 with 106,000 copies in its second week, while Kanye West “Late Registration” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) slipped one to No. 6 with 94,000.
After a six-year hiatus, Apple earned her highest berth on the album chart with “Extraordinary Machine” (Epic), which entered at No. 7 on the strength of 94,000 copies. The placement is higher than the No. 13 opening of her 1999 sophomore release “When the Pawn…,” but that set had higher first week sales at 103,000. To date, that disc has sold 925,000.
Franz Ferdinand also scored a career best Billboard 200 peak with the No. 8 entry of “You Could Have It So Much Better” (Domino/Epic). With an 81,000-copy opening week, the Scottish quartet has come a long way from last year’s self-titled debut, which had a first-week total of just 8,000 copies to bow at No. 164. But fueled by the modern rock hit “Take Me Out,” that album has so far racked up sales of 971,000.
In its 17th week on the chart, the Black Eyed Peas sold 80,000 copies of “Monkey Business” (A&M/Interscope), which rose one place to No. 9.
Faith Hill benefited from a dose of the Oprah magic as her former chart topper, “Fireflies” (Warner Bros. Nashville), soared 30 places to No. 10 with 79,000 copies. Suring an October 3 appearance on television’s syndicated ” Oprah Winfrey Show,” Hill performed the single “Breathe,” which previously topped the Billboard Top Country Songs chart for six weeks.
Rapper Trina is living the “Glamorest Life,” which debuted at No. 11. A career-best sales week of 77,000 copies resulted in her highest ranking on the album chart. The Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic album follows 2002’s “Diamond Princess,” which opened at No. 14 with 67,000 and has sold 490,000 to date.
Gospel veteran Kirk Franklin returned to The Billboard 200 at No. 13 with “Hero” (Gospo Centric), while Melissa Etheridge’s first greatest hits project, “The Road Less Traveled” (Island), bowed at No. 14.
Other notable debuts included Shinedown’s “Us and Them” (Atlantic, No. 23); Chris Cagle’s “Anywhere But Here” (Capitol Nashville, No. 24); O.A.R.’s “Stories of a Stranger” (Lava, No. 39); Deftones’ “B-Sides & Rarities” (Warner Bros., No.42); Cross Canadian Ragweed’s “Garage” (Universal South, No. 44); and Liz Phair’s “Somebody’s Miracle” (Capitol, No. 46).
At nearly 11 million units, overall U.S. album sales were up 6% over the previous week, on par with the same week last year. Sales for 2005 lag behind 2004 by 10% at 426 million units.
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