Todd Martens, L.A.
Following news of the artist's five Grammy nominations last week, Norah Jones' debut Blue Note/Capitol album "Come Away With Me" takes over the top of The Billboard 200 after 46 weeks on the chart. While sales of the set were down 8.4% from the previous week to 108,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, it was the sole title on the chart to sell more than 100,000 units.
Up from last week's previous peak of No. 2, "Come Away With Me" has sold 2.8 million units to date. It replaces the Shady/Interscope soundtrack to the Eminem film "8 Mile," which slips to No. 5 on a 37% sales slide to 75,000 copies.
While overall album sales are generally down from last week, as is typical for a slow release month like January, Jennifer Lopez's "This Is Me... Then" (Epic) is still able to earn a 6-2 boost on The Billboard 200, thanks to a relatively tame 6.5% sales dip to 88,000 units. The artist currently has two singles in the top-20 of Billboard's Hot 100, with the latest, "All I Have" featuring LL Cool J, at No. 12 and continuing to gain at radio.
Albums from Avril Lavigne and the Dixie Chicks also perform well on The Billboard 200, both the beneficiaries of multiple Grammy nominations. Lavigne's "Let Go" (Arista) holds at No. 3 despite a 26% dip to sales of 83,000 copies, while the Dixie Chicks' "Home" (Monument/Columbia) once again resides at No. 4, surviving a 17% sales hit to 79,000 copies.
Meanwhile, sets by Justin Timberlake and Shania Twain each gain one position on the chart: Timberlake's "Justified" (Jive) is No. 6 after an 18% hit to 70,500 units, while Twain's "Up!" (Mercury Nashville) is No. 7, despite being down 17% to 68,500 units. "Up!" continues its reign on Billboard's Top Country Albums roundup for an eighth-straight week.
Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott's "Under Construction" (Elektra) makes its way back into the top-10 of The Billboard 200 this week. The set braved a 23% blow to sales of 58,000 units, a total good enough to boost her set 11-8 on the chart. She edges out Aaliyah's "I Care 4 U" (Blackground/Universal), which sold 57,800 units (a 28% dip) to land at No. 9. "I Care 4 U," however, maintains its lead on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally for a fourth-straight week.
Christina Aguilera's "Stripped" (RCA) rounds out the top-10 of The Billboard 200, after a 41% strike to sales of 56,000 copies sends her down five rungs on the chart.
The only debut inside the top-100 of the album chart comes from Canadian country-pop newcomer Aaron Lines, whose "Living Out Loud" lands at No. 68 on sales of 13,000 copies. The artist has scored a top-10 hit on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks tally with "You Can't Hide Beautiful."
