Alicia Keys is rolling 'heads on the album chart.
Since debuting at number one last November, Keys' As I Am hasn't fallen out of the top three. Now, for the week ended Sunday, the album jumped over the Rainbows to knock Radiohead from its top-sitting perch.
As I Am sold 70,000 copies, according to the latest Nielsen SoundScan numbers, about 1,000 more than Radiohead's In Rainbows, which slipped to number two.
The nine-week-old As I Am continues to benefit from its smash hit "No One," which spent nearly a month atop the Hot 100 and has picked up two Grammy nominations. Likewise, her new single "Like You'll Never See Me Again" currently tops the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and scored two NAACP Image Awards nods.
The Juno soundtrack was the week's biggest gainer, selling 68,000 copies at number three thanks to a five-spot, 78 percent sales surge. The soundtrack to the Fox Searchlight film debuted last month on iTunes, Rhapsody and other digital music sites, but the tremendous popularity of the film and soundtrack led the record label to release the physical album a week ahead of schedule.
The soundtrack features several songs by anti-folk singer Kimya Dawson of the Antsy Pants and the Moldy Peaches, whom Juno actress Ellen Page recommended to director Jason Reitman. The album's eclectic mix also includes songs by Buddy Holly, the Kinks, the Velvet Underground and duet by Page and costar Michael Cera.
The film itself, which has already grossed $71 million on a $7.5 million budget, has become a major force on the awards circuit.
With such a slow sales week overall, Fergie's The Dutchess sold 28,000 copies to reenter the Top 10 at 10. The recently engaged singer's 2006 release climbed two spots despite selling 6,000 fewer copies between weeks. The album benefits from its fifth Top 5 hit, "Clumsy."
The rest of the Top 10, all holdovers, were Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains at four, Taylor Swift's self-titled at five, Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 26 at six, Chris Brown's Exclusive at seven, the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden at eight and Garth Brooks' The Ultimate Hits at nine.
Meanwhile, Josh Groban's Noël continues to freefall in the wake of the post-holiday season. On the final chart of 2007, Noël completed its five-week reign at number one on its way to becoming the bestselling album of the year. Three weeks later, Noël has plummeted another 55 spots to 113. That's just two spots ahead of the singer's 2006 album, Awake, at 115.
Australian pop singer Sia landed the week's biggest bow at 26, selling 20,000 copies of Some People Have Real Problems, her first release on Starbucks' Hear Music label. While its her third studio album overall, the singer first got stateside attention in 2006 when her song "Breathe Me" appeared as the closing song in the series finale of Six Feet Under. Soon after, several alternative radio stations added the song to their playlists.
British singer Kate Nash followed at 36, moving 16,000 copies of Made of Bricks. Nash has been laying a strong foundation, as her CD-single "Foundations" sold 1,400 copies last week to knock off the High School Musical 2 single "What Time Is It?" on the singles sales chart. Making its U.K. debut last August, Bricks eventually topped the British charts and scored three big radio hits, with "Foundations" climbing as high as number two.
As evidence of the slow sales week, the original cast recording of Xanadu roller-discoed its way onto the Billboard 200, selling 3,000 copies at 197.
Overall sales were down 20 percent from last week and down 10 percent compared to the same week in 2007.
To recap, the week's Top 10 were as follows:
1. As I Am, Alicia Keys
2. In Rainbows, Radiohead
3. Juno soundtrack, various
4. Growing Pains, Mary J. Blige
5. Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift
6. Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 26, various
7. Exclusive, Chris Brown
8. Long Road Out of Eden, the Eagles
9. The Ultimate Hits, Garth Brooks
10. The Dutchess, Fergie