Mary J. Blige Hits No. 1 Spot on Album Chart

The holiday season is gone and the same thing can be said about Josh Groban’s reign on the U.S. Billboard top 200-album chart. “Noel,” which led the top for five weeks in a row, ended its reign at No. 1, dropping two, at No. 3, with 176,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That means a 77 percent decrease from the 757,000 copies it sold on Christmas week, yet enough to keep the album in the Top 5.

Mary J. Blige’s “Growing Pains” is the new No. 1, having sold just over 204,300 copies over the past week, despite a 68 percent decline in sales from the previous week.  

“This album means a lot to me, because it shows my appreciation of my growth and the progress I’ve made. This is a next level for me, a new place, and it’s a celebration of my weaknesses and strengths,” Blige told MTV News about her album.

Alicia Keys ended at No. 2 with “As I Am” with 193,000 copies.

One surprise of the top was Radiohead’s “In Rainbows,” which debuted at No. 156 despite the fact that it was not even supposed to hit the streets until after this week’s chart had been published. The album, which debuted as a pay-what-you-want digital download in October, hit the U.S. stores well before its January 1 street date and sold 9,000 copies before its official release.

The rest of the chart’s top 10 did not suffer exceptional changes. The 26th addition to the “Now That’s What I Call Music!” compilation series climbs two spots to No. 4 with 98,400 scans, while Chris Brown’s ”Exclusive” jumps five spots ending at No. 5 with 86,700 copies sold.

Filling out the Top Ten were The Eagles’ “Long Road Out Of Eden” at No. 6 with 85,300 units; Garth Brooks’s “Ultimate Hits” at No. 7 with 76,800 scans; Taylor Swift’s self titled debut follows at No. 8 with 76,700 scans; Hannah Montana 2, “Meet Miley Cyrus at No. 9 with another 73,300 scans, while last position belongs to Colbie Caillat’s “Coco” with 71,600 copies sold.