It's an attack of the killer Bs.
Michael Bublé took over the top spot on the Billboard 200 pop charts as Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Bobby Valentino, Barbra Streisand and Björk all posted Top 10 debuts.
The Sinatra-channeling Bublé, whose Call Me Irresponsible opened at number two a week earlier, jumped to number one on 145,000 copies for the sales period ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan numbers. This brings his two-week tally to 358,000 discs.
Grammy winners Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, best known for their breakout smash "The Crossroads," sold 119,000 copies of Strength & Loyalty to open at number two. These Buckeye State rappers, discovered by the late Eazy-E, have already released two new radio singles, "Just Vibe" and "I Tried," featuring Akon.
R&B crooner Valentino, a member of Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace roster, entered the charts at three with his sophomore album, Special Occasion, which moved nearly 92,000 copies. Valentino's 2005 self-titled debut also opened at three.
Bobby was followed by Babs, who sold 60,000 copies of her double-disc Streisand: Live in Concert 2006 to bow at seven. Album cuts were compiled from various dates on the massive Streisand: The Tour. This marks Streisand's 29th Top 10 album and her seventh charting live release.
Björk landed the fourth and final Top 10 bow, checking in at number nine with Volta, selling 43,000 copies. The disc, which features production from Timbaland, represents a new chart high for the Icelandic singer, who previously topped out at 14 with 2004's Medulla.
Last week's number one, Ne-Yo's Because of You, fell to number four on 89,000 copies. The other Top 10 holdovers included Avril Lavigne's The Best Damn Thing at five, Daughtry's self-titled at six, Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts at eight and Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 24 at 10.
Elsewhere, Elliott Smith debuted at 24, selling 24,000 copies of the posthumous compilation New Moon. Smith, who died in 2003 from stab wounds to the chest, came to fame in '97 with the Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting track "Miss Misery." The present collection focuses on his Kill Rock Stars 1994-97 indie years.
Other noteworthy debuts included Dipset's More Than Music, Vol. 2 at 26, Travis' The Boy with No Name at 58, Yolanda Adams' The Best of Me at 60, Wow Gospel #1s at 74 and Sage Francis' Human the Death Dance at 97.
Overall, album sales were up a smidgen—0.5 percent—from last week but down 23 percent compared to the same sales week in '06. Year-to-date sales are still lagging behind 2006 by nearly 20 percent.
Here's a recap of the Top 10:
1. Call Me Irresponsible, Michael Bublé
2. Strength & Loyalty, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
3. Special Occasion, Bobby Valentino
4. Because of You, Ne-Yo
5. The Best Damn Thing, Avril Lavigne
6 Daughtry, Daughtry
7. Streisand: Live in Concert 2006, Barbra Streisand
8. Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood
9. Volta, Björk
10. Now That's What I Call Music! 24, various