Billboard.com - Ask Billboard

Experts answer your questions. For March 09, 2007, 4:30 PM ET

END OF THE 'ROAD?'

My question is about JoJo and her album "The High Road." After the hit of "Too Little Too Late," JoJo released (the single) "How To Touch a Girl," but it flopped and didn't help the album much. The album is close to falling off The Billboard 200. Is she releasing (another) single soon to save the album?

Thanks for everything!

Bryan Kearney
Pennsylvania

Hi Bryan,

JoJo's new single, "Anything," is currently bubbling under the CHR/Top 40 airplay chart. The song heavily samples Toto's 1982 hit "Africa," which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune was from Toto's album "Toto IV," which won the 1982 Grammy for Album of the Year.

"Anything" could eventually reach the CHR/Top 40 radio airplay chart and could hit the Billboard Hot 100, too. "Too Little Too Late" peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100, though "How To Touch a Girl" missed the chart entirely.

"The High Road," has sold 538,000, while "Too Little Too Late" has sold 821,000 digital downloads. And, sadly for you Bryan, "The High Road" last appeared on The Billboard 200 on the chart dated March 3.

PEACHY KEANE

Dear Keith,

I noticed that just this past week, (the March 10 charts) Keane's 2005 song "Somewhere Only We Know" entered the Hot 100 Recurrents chart at No. 1, and since the beginning of 2007, has reached No. 26 on Hot Digital Songs.

Considering that the song is two years old, and has not been on any Billboard chart for quite a while, could you explain what is causing its semi-revival? I think it is an excellent song, and would love for it to get the popularity that it deserves.

Charles John
Villa Park, Calif.

Hi Charles,

Actually, it's not a huge mystery. Behold, the power of "American Idol." Contestant Blake Lewis performed the song on the show, thus causing a huge surge of sales for the digital track. It re-entered Hot Digital Songs at No. 26 with 36,000 units and fell to No. 70 the following week with 15,000.

This week, another "Idol"-related tune appears on Hot Digital Songs for the first time -- Jason Mraz's "Geek in the Pink" bowed at No. 45 with 24,000. "Idol" contestant Chris Richardson performed the song on the show.

"Geek in the Pink" was a minor airplay hit for Mraz in late 2005 and early 2006. This past week (for the sales week ending March 4), his album "Mr. A-Z" sold nearly 2,000 units, a 321% increase over the previous week, all thanks to "Idol."

You can also visit Mraz's official Web site to see his music video for the song "The Beauty in Ugly." He wrote the track specifically for ABC's hit show "Ugly Betty." Since its bow in January, it has sold 26,000 digital downloads.

MADONNA ON THE MOVE

Hey Keith,

Once again, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy reading your column. I look forward to it every week.

I have a Madonna question for you (one of your millions I am sure)! I heard a rumor that she is in the studio with Timbaland working on her new album. Is this true? Are there any details about a release date? Also, I was wondering if you could give me album sales for her past three releases: "The Confessions Tour," "I'm Going To Tell You a Secret" and "Confessions on a Dance Floor."

Thanks so much!
Ryan Gibson
Toronto

Hi Ryan,

Well, there is no official word that Madonna has actually set foot in a studio with Timbaland. When our intrepid R&B Editor Gail Mitchell quizzed Timbaland for our recent cover story, he said that he was supposed to call up Madonna that very night to discuss a possible collaboration. Will anything ever come of this? Who knows.

What we do know is that in a telephone interview with former Billboard editor Larry Flick on his Sirius satellite show a few weeks ago, Madonna joked about how she was going to run downstairs and "tell Pharrell" something Flick said. Flick didn't follow up and ask her about the new album or Pharrell, but it's fair to assume that Pharrell was probably really there with her working on music.

So far, her last studio album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor," has sold 1.6 million copies in the U.S. The "I'm Going To Tell You a Secret" documentary CD/DVD package has sold 76,000, while the "Confessions Tour" live CD/DVD set has moved 77,000.

Save