Amy Winehouse Tops Alicia Keys on Billboard 200, “Thriller 25″ Denied Placement
New York, NY (February 22, 2008) – Well, it was bound to happen. Alicia Keys finally relinquished the top spot on the Billboard R&B Chart, passed over by surging British phenom/hot mess Amy Winehouse and her Grammy-winning record, “Back To Black.”
Wino shot up (pun intended) 22 spots, moving 115,300 copies to Keys’ 108,800 of “As I Am.” Keys easily vaulted over the triple platinum mark (her tally sits at 3,096,500), but Wino’s newly found chart-love is another example that people will shell out some dough for good music; especially music that’s been stamped with a Grammy seal of approval. I can’t say for sure that she was robbed of album of the year, but it’s good to see a nice batch of quality music at the top of the charts again.
The other big story this week was Billboard snubbing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller 25” from it’s rightfully earned #1 spot (source: NY Daily News). Despite selling over 167,000 copies, Billboard says the re-issue belongs on the Catalogue/Oldies Charts. Sony argued that while the album does contain original tracks, it features six remixes by artists like Akon, Kanye West and Fergie, a new song from Jackson and bonus DVD material. Billboard chart guru Geoff Mayfield spoke to the Daily News about it:
…"We were approached by Sony and Sony BMG to consider ‘Thriller 25′ as a current album. But we had to be consistent with hundreds, if not thousands, of reissues that have come to the market. There have actually been new issues of classic albums that include even more new material. We didn’t just make the decision on our own. We contacted major retailers (like Wal-Mart and Best Buy), and that was the consensus."
And so goes life for the King of Pop. However, things for The Queen of R&B, Mary J. Blige aren’t so bad. She only fell two spots this week to #9 on the Billboard 200, continuing to see success with her eighth album, “Growing Pains.” Despite the lack of a Top 25 single, she’s moved 1,225,600 albums in nine weeks, scanning 48,600 this last period. “Just Fine” is a solid, upbeat track, and while it’s not floundering, it is being shut out of the Top 10 by a crowded field. But that’s not a bad thing. Outside of Timbo’s “Apologize,” Fergie’s “Clumsy” (which I can’t stand) and a few others I haven’t heard yet, this is probably the first time I can remember saying with confidence that there’s some good fucking music in the Top 50. Of the songs charting, I’d spin 90% of them (that 10% is mostly the R&B joints, sorry).
As it turns out, the Grammy’s were good to a lot of people, even the ones that didn’t win. John Legend saw his “Live in Philadelphia” surge up Pop Rocks & Pepsi-style 50 spots to #12 after a performance with the aforementioned Fergie. Legend moved 40,400 copies for a five-week total of 123,700. Grammy-nominated Chris Brown is still going strong with his sophomore release “Exclusive,” scanning 39,700 copies this week for a 15-week total of 1,287,900 units. He still has the #2 single in America, “With You,” his duet with Jordin Sparks “No Air” moved up nine spots to #23 and his monster smash “Kiss, Kiss” with T-Pain is at #25. He’s also been linked to Rihanna (when she’s not being dogged by Jay-Z rumors), who saw success herself coming off a stunning Grammy performance. She bumped up 11 spots to #35, moving 26,900 copies of “Good Girl Gone Bad” for a 37-week platinum total of 1,060,300. And after offering one of the more touching performances of the evening, Kanye West saw his Grammy-winning Rap Album of The Year “Graduation” shoot up 24 spots to #40. Moving 22,600 copies this week, he surpassed the double platinum mark, landing at 2,005,800 after 23 weeks. Cuuuur-tiiiiiiisss…
Now, to backtrack a little bit, Keyshia Cole fell seven spots to No. 18 this week, scanning 37,700 copies of “Just Like You.” After 21 weeks, total sales of her sophomore LP sit comfortably at 1,168,900. And I’d be remised if I didn’t mention Fergie as well. Again. Still hustlin and workin on her fitness, The Black Eyed Peas starlet moved 29,300 copies of “The Dutchess” this period, good for a 74-week total of 3,449,900. I still hate all of her singles.
Sales of Lupe Fiasco’s “The Cool” also jumped up this sales period, moving north 12 spots to No. 42 with a haul of 22,600. A friend copped the album and I’ve been bumping it (not burning it) for the last week – shit’s hot fire. “Little Weapon” is my favorite track thus far. He pours on the nerd a little too much at points, approaching Aesop Rock status… but AR does have his charms, so that’s not entirely a bad thing. Nine weeks into “The Cool,” Lu has pushed 339,400 copies.
The-Dream finally outsold J. Holiday (weekly, not overall). It’s interesting to note because while Dream penned Holiday’s hit “Bed,” he couldn’t seem to surpass his client until now. He charted this week at #46, moving 21,000 copies of his Def Jam debut, “Love/Hate.” His 10-week total is a solid 226,100. And rounding out the Top 50 is R&B crooner Jaheim with “Makings of A Man.” He dropped to No. 48 this week, moving 20,000 copies, giving him a nine-week total of 369,100.
Next week, there should be a grip of hot commodities vying for chart space. Janet Jackson headlines the pack with her latest, “Discipline,” while Erykah Badu returns from a four-year absence with “New Amerykah.” Also look for Shawty Lo’s debut “Units In The City;” if you care, the D4L member’s album has been available as a bootleg for awhile, although it’s missing five new tracks. Webbie will also drop “Savage Life 2;” his single “Independent” has impacted radio already and is actually sitting comfortably at #10 on the Billboard 100.
Til then… we’ll be watching.