After two weeks of Diddy-shepherded made-for-TV bands topping the charts, a couple of old hands took their turn.
George Strait once again shot to the top of the charts, while the comeback-minded R.E.M. showed a return to form, finishing 1-2 on the latest album countdown.
The two giants in their respective genres dominated music sales, as the country kingpin scored his fourth No. 1 with Troubadour and the alt-rock godfathers' Accelerate opened at No. 2, their best showing in more than a decade.
Featuring the lead single "I Saw God Today," currently at No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart, Troubadour hummed along with 166,000 in sales for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan.
R.E.M.'s return to a rocking sound helped propel Accelerate to 115,000 in sales and marked the Hall of Fame band's highest chart position since 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which also debuted at No. 2.
Meanwhile, Day26's eponymous debut slipped from the top spot down to No. 4, while Making the Band cohorts Danity Kane dropped three spots to No. 7 with Welcome to the Dollhouse.
Riding momentum from the film's DVD release, the Alvin & the Chipmunks soundtrack jumped 11 spots to No. 5. Miami rapper Trina followed at No. 6 with her first career Top 10 bow, Still Da Baddest, selling a not-so-bad 47,000 copies.
Van Morrison landed the final Top 10 bow—the first of his decades-long career—with Keep It Simple selling 37,000 copies at No. 10. Morrison previously peaked at No. 15 with 1972's Saint Dominic's Preview. Elsewhere in the Billboard 200:
- Jack Johnson's Sleep Through the Static fell from the top 10 for the first time in nearly two months, landing at No. 13, though the album did pass the million-copy sales mark this week.
- More than 30 new titles cracked the Billboard 200. Aside from the top 10 entries, the Rolling Stones' Shine a Light soundtrack checked in at No. 11, followed by the Black Keys' Attack and Release at No. 14.
- Other noteworthy debuts included Sevendust's Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow at No. 19, George Michael's hits collection Twentyfive at 23 and Moby's Last Night at 27.
Overall, sales were down nearly 4 percent from last week and more than 24 percent compared to the same period in 2007.
Next week, British sensation Leona Lewis will make a run for the top spot with her debut disc, Spirit. If successful, she'll become the first solo female Brit ever to top the Billboard 200.
A recap of the Top 10:
1. Troubadour, George Strait
2. Accelerate, R.E.M.
3. Now That's What I Call Music! 27, various
4. Day26, Day26
5. Alvin & the Chipmunks soundtrack, various
6. Still Da Baddest, Trina
7. Welcome to the Dollhouse, Danity Kane
8. Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, Counting Crows
9. Trilla, Rick Ross
10. Keep It Simple, Van Morrison