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Alicia Keys’ “As I Am” stayed atop the Billboard 200 in what was a slow sales week, with longtime chart champion Josh Groban exiting the competition completely.
Alicia Keys’ third album opened at No. 1 ten weeks ago and remained among the chart’s top ten occupants; this is the second week reclaiming the No. 1 spot, after Josh Groban’s holiday-themed album lost its December appeal.
“As I Am” sold a modest 61,000 copies during a modest sales week ending Sunday, as reported by Nielsen SoundScan Thursday. Josh Groban’s “Noel,” which achieved an impressive No. 1 spot through five consecutive weeks has left the Billboard 200 altogether.
The soundtrack to the Academy Award nominated film “Juno” takes second place, with 58,000 copies sold. The album, prominently featuring artist Kimya Dawson and her bands Antsy Pants and The Moldy Peaches, is expected to do even better next week, following its recent Oscar recognition.
Mary J. Blige's “Growing Pains,” which debuted at No. 2 in mid-December, followed at three, with 52,000 sold units, while Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” slipped two places to No. 4, moving 46,000 units.
Raheem DeVaughn, recently nominated for a Grammy Award for best male R&B vocal performance, debuted at No. 5 with his sophomore effort “Love Behind the Melody,” selling 45,000 copies. This is a far cry from his previous album, 2005’s “The Love Experience,” which only reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200.
At No. 6, we find Taylor Swift’s self-titled album, with 34,000 sold copies, while John Legend’s concert set “Live from Philadelphia” debuted at No. 7 with 33,000. Legend’s album was available exclusively at Target stores and Target.com.
The “NOW 26” hits collection slipped to eighth place with 30,000 sold units, while Chris Brown’s “Exclusive” also fell two places to No. 9, with 29,000.
Closing up the Top Ten is teen star Miley Cyrus and her “Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus” double-disk, which sold another 27,000.
Other releases which entered the top 100 spots on the Billboard chart were Anne Murray's “Duets: Friends & Legends” at No. 42 with 13,000; Magnetic Fields’ “Distortion” at No. 77 with 8,000; the Spice Girls’ “Greatest Hits” at No. 93 with 7,000 and very close behind Ringo Starr’s “Liverpool 8.”
Sales this week are down 4% from last week to 6.98 million units and overall sales are down 9% from the same sum in 2007, per Nielsen SoundScan.
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