A closer look at the Greatest Gainers, Hot Shot Debuts and Pacesetters on this week's Billboard charts.
Hot Shot Debuts: Keith Sweat crowns
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums -- and wins the chart’s Hot Shot Debut award -- with "Just Me," his first studio album since 2002 and first to take the summit since 1996. The self-titled album he released that year was the last in a streak of five consecutive chart-toppers for Sweat that started with 1988’s "Make It Last Forever." Sweat also takes the No. 10 spot on
The Billboard 200, his first top 10 album there since 1998's "Still in the Game" debuted and peaked at No. 6.
On
The Billboard 200, Hot Shot Debut honors go to Death Cab For Cutie, which earns its first No. 1 album on the big chart with "Narrow Stairs." The set -- the band’s second for Atlantic -- shifts 144,000 copies, of which 38% are digital downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Death Cab’s last album, "Plans," held prior career marks for peak position and sales week, bowing at No. 4 in 2005 with 89,000.
On
The Billboard Hot 100, New Kids On The Block score the Hot Shot Debut with single "Summertime," from their forthcoming album of the same name, due Sept. 9. This marks the reunited group’s first visit to the Hot 100 since "Dirty Dawg" spent six weeks on the list in 1994, peaking at No. 66. "Summertime" already has "Dirty Dawg" beat, arriving at a loftier No. 57. The song also debuts on
Hot Digital Songs at No. 26 with sales of 39,000.
The
Top Country Albums Hot Shot Debut trophy goes to Roy Orbison for hits collection "Playlist: The Very Best of Roy Orbison," which arrives at No. 74 with sales of 700.
Greatest Gainers: An unexpected win for Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony, broadcast May 18, propels Miranda Lambert’s "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" 21-19 on
Top Country Albums, where it becomes this week's Greatest Gainer with sales of 8,000, an increase of 6%.
Radiohead is the Greatest Gainer on
The Billboard 200 with "In Rainbows," which moves 74-50 with a sales increase of 16% to 12,000. This is the best sales week for the set since March, thanks to continued sales spikes owed to the band's U.S. tour.
In its 12th week, Erykah Badu’s "New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)" takes Greatest Gainer honors on
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums as it moves 19-16 on the back of a 13% sales bump.
Over on
The Billboard Hot 100, Rihanna's "Take A Bow" sews on Greatest Gainer/Airplay stripes even as it slips 1-3. The song took a 27% hit on the digital side, sliding from 267,000 downloads last week to 196,000 this week, but continues to gain spins at radio. Meanwhile, the chart's Greatest Gainer/Digital award belongs to Duffy for "Mercy," which leaps 66-27. The track is up a hefty 124% on the digital side, moving 38-13 on Hot Digital Songs. At the same time, the singer’s new album "Rockferry" starts at No. 4 on
The Billboard 200, making her the third female British newcomer to bow a debut album in the top 10 since the beginning of 2007, along with Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis.
Pacesetters: Dwight Yoakam's tribute to Buck Owens, "Dwight Sings Buck," sets the pace on
Top Country Albums following a performance of Owens' 1963 classic "Act Naturally" on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on May 15. The appearance was Yoakam's 24th since 1986, the most by any artist during that frame. "Dwight Sings Buck" is up 8% this week.
It’s Trin-i-tee 5:7 setting the pace on
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with "T57," which climbs 90-78 with a 35% sales bump in its 33rd week.
And on
The Billboard 200, the "P.S. I Love You" soundtrack grabs the Pacesetter trophy as it climbs 101-81 behind an 18% sales increase to 9,000. The set re-entered the chart last week following the release of the film on DVD. It initially charted for five weeks after its debut in January.
Browse All Charts.
--Susan Visakowitz with additional reporting by Keith Caulfield, Raphael George, Katie Hasty, Wade Jessen, Geoff Mayfield and Silvio Pietroluongo