With a Bullet: Today's Charts

Posted on Dec 5th 2007 3:00PM by Beville Darden
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As we come to the year's end, it's time to start predicting who will run away with the bragging rights for the best-selling album of 2007. Kanye West? Linkin Park? Eagles? Alicia Keys? Or will the holiday spirit (and Oprah) push Josh Groban to the top with an album he released just two months ago? If the young baritone continues to have 500,000-plus sales every week, he just may do it.

Groban tops the charts for the second week in a row with 'Noel,' the album Oprah calls "the one Christmas CD every family should have." And the good Lord knows that when Oprah speaks, people listen. In fact, after appearing on 'Oprah,' Groban's sales went up more than 80%. (Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is really wishing the talk-show queen would shut up about Barack Obama already.)

The only artists that may give Groban a run for his 2007 title are Disney's cash-cows: 'Hannah Montana' and 'High School Musical,' with both soundtracks racking up nearly two million in sales so far. But, once more, Oprah people.

It was not a great week for debuts. Only one album, Pitbull's 'Boatlift,' cracked the Top 50, racking up a mere 22,000 in sales. Mudvayne's 'By the People For the People' was just behind it at No. 51.

The Eagles jumped from No. 5 to No. 2 on the charts with 'Long Road Out of Eden,' the legendary country-rockers' first studio album since 1979. The band will most likely hit 2 million in sales in just six weeks.

Alica, Alicia, Alicia! Why didn't you release your new album before Grammy eligibility was over? We would certainly hear your name more than once in Thursday's nomination announcements if you had. Miss Keys' exquisite 'As I Am' CD continues to impress in its third week, with total sales of more than 1.3 million.

The Top Ten albums for the week ending December 2:

'Noel,' Josh Groban (539,000 in 8th week; 1,536,000 total)
'Long Road Out of Eden,' Eagles (313,000 in 5th week; 1,765,000 total)
'As I Am,' Alicia Keys (257,000 in 3rd week; 1,350,000 total)
'Now 26,' Various Artists (127,000 in 3rd week; 569,000 total)
'Ultimate Hits,' Garth Brooks (112,000 in 4th week; 860,000 total)
'High School Musical 2' Soundtrack (98,000 in 16th week; 2,3999,000 total)
'Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus' Soundtrack (96,000 in 23rd week; 1,844,000 total)
'Taking Chances,' Celine Dion (93,000 in 3rd week; 435,000 total)
'Carnival Ride,' Carrie Underwood (89,000 in 6th week; 1,162,000 total)
'Christmas Song,' Mannheim Steamroller (77,000 in 8th week; 289,000 total)