Baby Daddy (?) Bieber Leads the Charts

Justin Bieber just can’t get out of the news. Following the claims that the 17 year-old fathered some chick’s baby (which he vehemently denies), the Biebs got some good news today as he nabbed his third # 1 album. Selling 210,000 copies, Bieber’s Under the Mistletoe debuts on top of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart making it the first Christmas album from a solo male artist to debut in that position. (On a personal note, I can’t stand hearing any Christmas music til at least after Thanksgiving~ better yet mid December. So, please don’t be playin’ the Biebs holiday tidings near me, lol). Justin also lays claim to the title of most # 1 albums (3) by an artist under 18 years-old breaking his tie with LeAnn Rimes who had two…. Now, it wasn’t all about tween heart-throbs on the chart this week as 5 other records debuted in the top ten from rapper Wale, Grammy winning country singer Miranda Lambert, Grammy nominees Florence + the Machine, R& B crooner Tyrese and former X-Factor contender Susan Boyle whose latest gave her a third top 5 album, albeit with a huge drop off in sales compared to her last two…. For more on this chart, head to Billboard here and check out the top ten albums below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Under the Mistletoe- Justin Bieber (debut)
2. Ambition- Wale (debut)
3. Four the Record- Miranda Lambert (debut)
4. Someone to Watch Over Me- Susan Boyle (debut)
5. 21- Adele (last week~ 4)
6. Ceremonials- Florence + the Machince (debut)
7. Mylo Xyloto- Coldplay (lw~ 1)
8. Christmas- Michael Buble (lw~ 5)
9. Open Invitation- Tyrese (debut)
10. Stronger- Kelly Clarkson (lw~ 2)

And here’s Miranda Lambert’s rocking current top 5 country smash “Baggage Claim”. Watch for her to perform it on the CMA Awards tonight on ABC.

Looking at the Hot 100 Singles chart, Rihanna makes it two weeks in a row with “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris. She is likely to hold on another week despite the quickly rising LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It”. Take a gander at the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/ Calvin Harris (last week~ 1)
2. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 3)
3. “Someone Like You”- Adele (lw~ 2)
4. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/ Christina Aguilera (lw~ 4)
5. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/ Adam Levine (lw~ 6)
6. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~ 7)
7. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 5)
8. “Good Feeling”- Flo Rida (lw~ 12)
9. “You Make Me Feel”- Cobra Starship w/Sabi (lw~ 9)
10. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~8)

Susan Boyle destroys Depeche Mode

So, I try not to be too negative with my posts but sometimes you just have to vent. So, here goes. Susan Boyle, what the hell were you thinking? The beloved (?) singer who rose to fame from Britain’s X Factor with her glorious performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables has had two big hit albums across the globe and is about to release her third, Someone to Watch Over Me. Unfortunately with that new release, she’s about to subject the world to one of the worst covers I have ever heard~ her version of Depeche Mode’s awesome 90′s classic “Enjoy the Silence”. And the results are just atrocious. Take a listen for yourself below. Susan oh Susan, stop the insanity!

Susan Boyle “Enjoy the Silence”

And here’s the glorious original to compare it to…
Depeche Mode “Enjoy the Silence”

Taylor Swift still Reigns while Subo and MJ tumble

As the holidays came to an end, one thing remained constant: Taylor Swift is the biggest thing in music. She continued her reign on the top of the Billboard Albums chart for a 5th non-consecutive week with Speak Now in a frame that saw giant drops for holiday titles from the likes of Susan Boyle, Jackie Evancho and the Glee cast that had been mainstays in the top ten. Most albums took big sales hits, especially discs that were big gifts over the season like Michael Jackson’s Michael which tumbled from # 5 to # 18. At least the good news is that several former top ten albums got a nice reprieve and returned to their former heights like the latest from Kanye West, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry. For all of your chart needs, head to Billboard here, and check out the new top ten below.

Official Billboard Results for Week of December 27, 2010

1. Taylor Swift, “Speak Now” (last week~ 1)
2. Eminem, “Recovery” (lw~ 7)
3. Rihanna, “Loud” (lw~ 10)
4. Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday” (lw~8)
5. Kanye West, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (lw~ 19)
6. Daft Punk, “TRON: Legacy” original soundtrack album (lw~ 27)
7. Bruno Mars, “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” (lw~ 20)
8. Mumford & Sons, “Sigh No More” (lw~ 34)
9. Katy Perry, “Teenage Dream” (lw~ 12)
10. Keyshia Cole, “Calling All Hearts” (lw~ 9)

Taylor Swift and SuBo take out Michael Jackson on the Charts

Last week, Michael Jackson’s second posthumous album, Michael, hit stores and many were expecting a big debut like that of his soundtrack album This is It. However, while his debut was good with 228,000 unites sold, MJ still couldn’t beat out the ladies of the season, Taylor Swfit and Susan Boyle. Swift returned to # 1 with Speak Now shifting 259,000 copies and Boyle’s The Gift slipping to second with a close 254,000 copies. There were other new debuts in this busy week that saw tons of album sales increases across the board as people get ready for Christmas. The next highest new entry was from R. Kelly at # 6 followed by Diddy Dirty Money (yeah, that’s just Sean Combs/Puff Daddy) at # 7. Also entering with her first record was this year’s American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox at # 28 with Farmer’s Daughter. While that may seem like a low chart number, she still sold 58,000 copies which easily trumped AI’s winner Lee Dewyze who only sold 39,000 in his debt week a month ago. Look’s like fans clearly prefer the massively more talented Bowersox (as they should, the album is great)…. For more on all the Billboard charts, head here. And take a look at the new top ten below.

Official Billboard Results for Week of December 13, 2010

1. Taylor Swift, “Speak Now” (last week~ 2)
2. Susan Boyle, “The Gift” (lw~ 1)
3. Michael Jackson, “Michael” (DEBUT)
4. Jackie Evancho, “O Holy Night” (lw~ 5)
5. “Glee: The Christmas Album” original television soundtrack album (lw~ 3)
6. R. Kelly, “Love Letter” (DEBUT)
7. Diddy-Dirty Money, “Last Train to Paris” (DEBUT)
8. Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday” (lw~ 6)
9. Kid Rock, “Born Free” (lw~ 15)
10. “Glee: The Music (Volume 4)” original television soundtrack album (lw~8)

Susan Boyle takes out T.I.

He may have hit the top with his last couple of releases, but recently incarcerated rapper T.I. couldn’t withstand the power of a little middle-aged lady from the U.K. as Susan Boyle’s The Gift held on to the top of the Billboard 200 Albums chart. Boyle sold another 243,000 copies for a total of 1.43 million. Boyle is a selling machine! … T.I. could only muster sales of 159,000 copies for his new disc, No Mercy, which debuted at # 4 also behind the enduring power of Taylor Swift and the Glee kids (who have two albums in the top ten). The only other big debut came from the Daft Punk Tron Legacy soundtrack which landed at # 10 giving them their highest charting album ever. Take a look at the new top ten below and head to Billboard for more chart news here.

Official Billboard Results for Week of 12.06.10

1. Susan Boyle, “The Gift” (last week~ 1)
2. Taylor Swift, “Speak Now” (lw~ 2)
3. “Glee: The Christmas Album” original television soundtrack album (lw~ 4)
4. T.I., “No Mercy” (DEBUT)
5. Jackie Evancho, “O Holy Night” (lw~ 3)
6. Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday” (lw~8)
7. Josh Groban, “Illuminations” (lw~ 9)
8. “Glee: The Music (Volume 4)” original television soundtrack album (lw~ 5)
9. Rihanna, “Loud” (lw~ 10)
10. Daft Punk, “TRON: Legacy” original soundtrack album (DEBUT)

It’s Christmas with Katharine McPhee

I don’t know about you but it takes me a little while to get in the mood for Christmas music. I, for one, think it’s absolutely unacceptable to hear anything Christmas-y til at least Dec. 1st. So, now it’s Dec 10th and I’m finally ready for some Christmas music. This season there are new holiday albums out by the Glee cast, Susan Boyle, Annie Lennox and more, but one album that’s actually really good is the new holiday collection by American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee, Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You. Like previous Idols Clay Aiken and David Archuleta who’ve released hit Christmas albums, McPhee has a perfect voice for these smooth winter time tunes and lovelorn ballads. She’s gotten a lot of airplay with previous Christmas singles “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and now the first video for her new Xmas tune has been released. Check out Katharine’s “It’s Not Christmas Without You” below, and for more on Katharine and her burgeoning acting career (including roles in The House Bunny, Community and the upcoming Shark Night 3D), click here.

Katharine McPhee “It’s Not Christmas Without You”

Lady Gaga Leads Billboard’s Year End Charts

Last year, Lady Gaga was crowned the Top New Artist of the Year on the Billboard charts. This year, she takes an upgrade and grabs the Artist of the Year honors. She also rules the dance charts for the year and places two albums in the top 20 for 2010. It was a big year for Gaga, along with Lady Antebellum (who ruled country), Eminem (who led rap) and the severely talentless, in my humble opinion, Ke$ha (the top new artist of 2010) among others. Susan Boyle had the top album of the year with I Dreamed a Dream in a bit of a shocker holding off the above artists and Taylor Swift who landed two records in the top 10. For all the year-end Billboard charts, head here. Also, take note the Billboard charts run from November to November, so that’s why some of their tallies may seem a little wonky…. That said, take a look at the biggest songs, artists and albums of 2010 below.

BILLBOARD’s 2010 Artists of the Year:
1. Lady Gaga
2. Taylor Swift (last year’s winner)
3. Eminem
4. Lady Antebellum
5. Ke$ha
6. Usher
7. The Black Eyed Peas
8. Justin Bieber
9. Rihanna
10. Drake
11. Katy Perry
12. Susan Boyle
13. Jason Derulo
14. B.o.B
15. Taio Cruz
16. Train
17. Ludacris
18. Trey Songz
19. Michael Buble
20. Lil Wayne
21. Alicia Keyes
22. Bruno Mars
23. Carrie Underwood
24. Miley Cyrus
25. Zac Brown Band
26. Jay Z
27. Adam Lambert
28. Michael Jackson
29. Young Money
30. Andrea Bocelli

TOP 20 Hot 100 SINGLES of 2010
1 TIK TOK Ke$ha

2 NEED YOU NOW Lady Antebellum Capitol Nashville/Capitol
3 HEY, SOUL SISTER Train Columbia
4 CALIFORNIA GURLS Katy Perry Featuring Snoop Dogg Capitol
5 OMG Usher Featuring will.i.am LaFace/JLG
6 AIRPLANES B.o.B Featuring Hayley Williams RebelRock/Grand Hustle/Atlantic
7 LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE Eminem Featuring Rihanna Web/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
8 BAD ROMANCE Lady Gaga Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope
9 DYNAMITE Taio Cruz Mercury/IDJMG
10 BREAK YOUR HEART Taio Cruz Featuring Ludacris Mercury/IDJMG
11 NOTHIN’ ON YOU B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars RebelRock/Grand Hustle/Atlantic
12 I LIKE IT Enrique Iglesias Featuring Pitbull Universal Republic
13 BEDROCK Young Money Featuring Lloyd Cash Money/Universal Motown
14 IN MY HEAD Jason Derulo Beluga Heights/Warner Bros.
15 RUDE BOY Rihanna SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
16 TELEPHONE Lady Gaga Featuring Beyonce Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope
17 TEENAGE DREAM Katy Perry Capitol
18 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE Bruno Mars Elektra/Atlantic
19 COOLER THAN ME Mike Posner J/RMG
20 IMMA BE The Black Eyed Peas Interscope

TOP 30 ALBUMS of 2010
1 I DREAMED A DREAM Susan Boyle SYCO/Columbia/Sony Music
2 RECOVERY Eminem Web/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope/IGA
3 NEED YOU NOW Lady Antebellum Capitol Nashville
4 THE FAME Lady Gaga Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope/IGA
5 MY WORLD 2.0 Justin Bieber SchoolBoy/Raymond Braun/Island/IDJMG
6 MY CHRISTMAS Andrea Bocelli Sugar/Decca
7 FEARLESS Taylor Swift Big Machine
8 MY WORLD (EP) Justin Bieber SchoolBoy/Raymond Braun/Island/IDJMG
9 SPEAK NOW Taylor Swift Big Machine
10 THE E.N.D. The Black Eyed Peas Interscope/IGA
11 THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM Alicia Keys MBK/J/RMG
12 PLAY ON Carrie Underwood 19/Arista Nashville/SMN
13 THE FAME MONSTER (EP) Lady Gaga Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope/IGA
14 SOLDIER OF LOVE Sade Epic/Sony Music
15 CRAZY LOVE Michael Buble 143/Reprise/Warner Bros.
16 THANK ME LATER Drake Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown/UMRG
17 THE FOUNDATION Zac Brown Band Roar/Bigger Picture/Home Grown/Atlantic/AG
18 RAYMOND V RAYMOND Usher LaFace/JLG
19 BATTLE STUDIES John Mayer Columbia/Sony Music
20 ANIMAL Ke$ha Kemosabe/RCA/RMG
21 RATED R Rihanna SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
22 MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS IT (SOUNDTRACK) Michael Jackson MJJ/Epic/Sony Music
23 GLEE: SEASON ONE: THE MUSIC VOLUME 1 Soundtrack 20th Century Fox TV/Columbia/Sony Music
24 STRONGER WITHEACH TEAR Mary J. Blige Matriarch/Geffen/IGA
25 LADY ANTEBELLUM Lady Antebellum Capitol Nashville
26 GLEE: SEASON ONE: THE MUSIC VOLUME 2 Soundtrack 20th Century Fox TV/Columbia/Sony Music
27 REVOLUTION Miranda Lambert Columbia (Nashville)/SMN
28 THE FALL Norah Jones Blue Note/BLG
29 FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT Adam Lambert 19/RCA/RMG
30 NOW 32 Various Artists EMI/Universal/Zomba/Sony Music

Glee is on the Rise, The Peas disappoint and Susan Boyle has a Gift

You can’t turn on the TV without seeing the Black Eyed Peas everywhere trumping their latest disc The Beginning. Unfortunately, all their efforts are for naught considering the new album underperformed in its first week with a disappointing 119,000 copies sold to debut at # 6. That was a big drop off from their last album The E.N.D. which debuted on top with 304,000 copies. Perhaps their dreadful lead off single “The Time (Dirty Bit) which massacres the classic “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” has turned off fans? We’ll see if subsequent singles can turn things around for the Peas. The other big debut was from the Glee cast at # 5 with their latest compilation totaling 128,000 copies and putting it right behind the Glee Christmas album which zooms up 6 places to # 4. Another holiday album, Susan Boyle’s The Gift, returns to the top of the charts selling another 272,000 copies holding off Taylor Swift’s Speak Now. Take a look at the new top ten below (hello big drops for Kanye West and Nicki Minaj!) and for more on all your chart needs, head to Billboard here.

Official Billboard Results for Week of 11.29.10

1. Susan Boyle, “The Gift” (last week~ 3)
2. Taylor Swift, “Speak Now” (lw~ 4)
3. Jackie Evancho, “O Holy Night” (lw~ 5)
4. “Glee: The Christmas Album” original television soundtrack album (lw~ 10)
5. “Glee: The Music (Volume 4)” original television soundtrack album (DEBUT)
6. The Black Eyed Peas, “The Beginning” (DEBUT)
7. Kanye West, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (lw~ 1)
8. Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday” (lw~ 2)
9. Josh Groban, “Illuminations” (lw~ 12)
10. Rihanna, “Loud” (lw~ 4)

And here’s a Glee-ful Christmas treat for you…

Kanye West leads Nicki Minaj in a big sales week on the Album Charts

Controversial Grammy winning rapper Kanye West returned to the charts in a big way grabbing his 4th # 1 album as his latest, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, debuted on top with 496,000 units sold. That was more than his last album started with and a nice rebound considering all of his drama from the past year (it: Taylor Swift, Bush scandals, etc). Regardless of his big mouth and arrogance, West is super talented and his fans showed up for him this week, just as Nicki Minaj’s did. Debuting in second with a big 375,000 copies sold, the female rapper’s Pink Friday had the biggest hip hop sales for a female artist since Lauryn Hill in 1998. There were three other artists making strong debuts in the top ten as well with Justin Bieber at #7, My Chemical Romance at #8 and Ne Yo at #9. With such a big post Thanksgiving sales week for holdovers like Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift and Glee, two other notable debuts had to make do landing near the bottom of the top 20 with Ke$ha’s Cannibal at #17 and the Burlesque soundtrack selling stronger than expected at #18. (I, for one, hope the Burlesque soundtrack continues to sell well because it’s fantastic and a huge improvement on Christina Aguilera’s last album)…. for more on the Billboard Top 200 Album charts, click here.

Billboard Top Ten Albums this week:
1. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (debut)
2. Nicki Minaj- Pink Friday (debut)
3. Susan Boyle- The Gift (last week~ 1)
4. Taylor Swift- Speak Now (lw~ 9)
5. Jackie Evancho- O Holy Night (lw~2)
6. Rihanna- Loud (lw~3)
7. Justin Bieber- My Worlds Acoustic (debut)
8. My Chemical Romance- Danger Days: the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (debut)
9. Ne Yo- Libra Scale (debut)
10. Glee Christmas Album (lw~8)

Susan Boyle, Rihanna, and The Beatles make news on the Charts while an Idol tanks…

The holiday shopping season is upon us and the music biz is finally perking up with 8 new debuts in the top ten of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. However, it was a holdover that grabbed #1 as Susan Boyle’s seasonal collection, The Gift, stayed on top and actually increased its sales to 335,000 copies in week two. She held off a shockingly strong performance from another TV bred star, ten-year old Jackie Evancho of America’s Got Talent, whose holiday opera debut landed in the runner-up spot besting Rihanna‘s Loud which actually gave the pop star her biggest first week sales to date. Rihanna also has the new # 1 single in the country this week with “Only Girl in the World” which hits the summit just two weeks after her other song “What’s My Name?’ began its run on top.
Back on the album chart, Josh Groban, Kid Rock, The Glee Christmas album, Rascal Flats, Keith Urban and Nelly all made it into the top ten with the only other stalwart being Taylor Swift who hung on at # 9. Watch for strong sales for most of those releases throughout the holiday season particularly Groban and Boyle… It wasn’t good news for the latest American Idol winner, Lee Dewyze, though whose first album Live It Up tanked landing at # 19 with a paltry 39,000 for the lowest first week sales of any Idol winner or runner-up in the show’s history. Perhaps the more deserving singer he beat Crystal Bowersox will have stronger  sales power with her debut in a few weeks. Stay tuned…

Here’s this week’s top Ten albums:
1. Susan Boyle- The Gift (lw~ 1)
2. Jackie Evancho- O Holy Night (debut)
3. Rihanna- Loud (debut)
4. Josh Groban- Illuminations (debut)
5. Kid Rock- Born Free (debut)
6. Rascal Flatts- Nothing Like This (debut)
7. Keith Urban- Get Closer (debut)
8. Glee- The Christmas Album (debut)
9. Taylor Swift- Speak Now (lw~ 2)
10. Nelly- 5.0 (debut)

Back over on the singles chart, the Glee cast made more big news with “Forget You” featuring Gwyneth Paltrow which debuted at # 1 on the digital singles sales chart. That was the second # 1 in a row on the chart for the show which hit the top last week with “Teenage Dream”. The later single debuted at # 8 on the Hot 100 as well, but “Forget You” just misses the top ten debuting at # 11. The original version original version of that song “F*%k You (Forget You)” by Cee -Lo does grab a spot in the top ten though spurred on by the attention from the hit show to zoom up to # 9.

Here’s this week’s top ten songs:
1. “Only Girl in the World”- Rihanna (lw~ 2)
2. “Raise Your Glass”- Pink (lw~ 4)
3. “Like a G6”- Far East Movement (lw~ 1)
4. “We R Who We R”- Ke$ha (lw~ 6)
5. “Just a Dream”- Nelly (lw~ 5)
6. “Firework”- Katy Perry (lw~ 9)
7. “Just the Way You Are”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 3)
8. “What’s My Name?”- Rihanna w/Drake (lw~ 7)
9. “F#%k You (Forget You)”- Cee-Lo (lw~ 19)
10. “Bottoms Up”- Trey Songz (lw~ 10)

With Rihanna’s latest # 1, she now has a total of 9 chart toppers and that means she has more # 1′s than any other artist this decade. Pretty shocking, huh? Here’s a list of Rihanna’s # 1′s below.

Rihanna’s #1 songs (the most in the 2000′s by any artist):
“S.O.S.”
“Umbrella” with Jay Z
“Take A Bow”
“Disturbia”
“Live Your Life” with T.I.
“Rude Boy”
“Love the Way You Lie” with Eminem
“What’s My Name?” with Drake
“Only Girl in the World”

~and is it me or is it also shocking that “Don’t Stop the Music” didnt’ hit the top of the Hot 100? It peaked at # 3.

The lastl big chart news of the week belongs to The Beatles who finally made all their albums and singles available to iTunes. After just one week out, the supergroup sold over 450,000 albums worldwide and over 2 million singles. Looks like good music will always thrive. For more on all your chart needs, head to Billboard here.

And here’s your # 1 song in the country, Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World”