Hot Rod Races Up Charts

For the first time since Jimmy Carter sat in the White House and Star Wars had no sequels, Rod Stewart has the nation's number one album.

The croaky-voiced crooner's latest collection of standards, Stardust...Great American Songbook Vol. III sold 240,000 for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures out Wednesday.

It's the first time the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has debuted on top of the Billboard 200, the biggest single-week sales of his four-decade career and his first chart-topping disc in 25 years, since 1979's Blondes Have More Fun. Only Santana (28 years), the Isley Brothers (28 years) and Elvis Presley (29 years) have had longer stretches between number one albums.

"Best of all for me is how much the public loves these albums, but I cannot deny that being number one has put a big smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye," the 59-year-old rocker said in a statement.

The first disc in the series, 2002's It Had to Be You...The Great American Songbook Volume I, peaked at four and ranks 83 on the new album chart. The 2003 follow-up, As Time Goes By...The Great American Songbook Volume II, climbed to number two--it now sits at 66. Both albums received Grammy nominations for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. All told, the series has moved more than 10 million copies worldwide.

News of Stewart's success comes as the rocker finds himself on trial in Los Angeles. He and a trio of concert promoters have filed dueling lawsuits over a series of concerts Stewart bailed on in 2002. Stewart took to the witness stand Wednesday to tell jurors he should have received full payment for the shows ("As far as I'm concerned, a deal is a deal," he said); he blames the ineptitude of the promoters for the cancellation.

Meanwhile, Arizona's Jimmy Eat World scored the week's second-best bow, charting at six with Futures selling nearly 99,000 copies. The band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live last Friday to help spark sales.

Brooks & Dunn also cracked the Top 10 this week with their latest anthology, Greatest Hits Collection II, selling 82,000 copies at seven. The duo's previous best-of disc came out in late 1997 and featured 19 tracks to the second volume's 17.

With promos hitting for the new biopic Ray, Ray Charles' posthumous Genius Loves Company jumped eight spots to number five with 99,000 copies sold. Meanwhile, the soundtrack to the film--which opens Friday--debuted this week at 23.

The rest of the Top 10 were holdovers. Nelly's Suit climbed a spot to number two with 153,000. Conversely, its sibling disc, Sweat, continues to drop, falling five to 17 with just 49,000 copies. Last week's chart champ, George Strait's 50 Number Ones, was down to three, Usher's Confessions followed at four, Celine Dion's Miracle dropped to eight, Hilary Duff's self-titled came in at nine, and Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying dropped to the 10 spot.

Ashlee Simpson's Autobiography, a former number one and Top 10 staple, might be experiencing increased slippage since last weekend's Saturday Night Live lip-synch debacle. The acid reflux queen dropped three spots to 22, selling 5,000 fewer copies--though these numbers reflect only one post-SNL sales day. Next week's numbers should provide a clearer picture of the whether the SNL meltdown will negatively impact her career.

The double-disc Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits sold nearly 59,000 to open at 13. Elliott Smith's posthumous From a Basement on the Hill followed at 19 with 43,000 copies.

Other notable debuts include Pat Green's Lucky Ones at 28, Juvenile's Greatest Hits at 31, Asian emcee Jin at 54 with Rest Is History, Lil' White's Phinally Phamous at 64, O'Ryan's self-titled at 75 and the star-studded tribute Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon at 98.

A handful of older albums also reentered the charts this week. Actress-singer Renée Olstead rocketed to 89 following last week's duet with David Foster on Oprah. Likewise, with the spooky season in full haunt, Mannheim Steamroller's Monster Mix scared its way onto the charts at 143.

Finally, Atlanta crunk rappers Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz celebrated their two-year anniversary on the charts this week with their breakthrough Kings of Crunk at 167. The crew's much-anticipated follow-up, Crunk Juice, hits stores on Nov. 16.

Here's a recap of the Top 10 albums for the week ended Sunday:

1. Stardust...Great American Songbook Vol. III, Rod Stewart
2. Suit, Nelly
3. 50 Number Ones, George Strait
4. Confessions, Usher
5. Genius Loves Company, Ray Charles
6. Futures, Jimmy Eat World
7. Greatest Hits Collection II, Brooks & Dunn
8. Miracle, Celine Dion
9. Hilary Duff, Hilary Duff
10. Live Like You Were Dying, Tim McGraw