Alicia Keys tears up Billboard charts
November 22, 2007

The Billboard 200 was in a state of flux this week, as every album in the Top 10 fluctuated by more than 100,000 units this week, but when the dust had settled, Alicia Keys came out on top and had the second-best-selling album of the year so far. Alicia Keys managed to sell 742,000 copies of her new album, "As I Am", according to a report from Nielsen SoundScan.

With the almost three-quarters of a million albums sold by Alicia Keys, this has been one of the best weeks for the slumping music industry this year. Not only did the nine-time Grammy Award winner outsell the competition this week, but the first four albums of her career - Song in A Minor, The Diary of Alicia Keys, Unplugged and As I Am - have now all accomplished that feat. Alicia Keys is now the only female solo artist, other than Britney Spears, to have topped the Billboard 200 with the release of their first four albums. Alicia Keys' "As I Am" is now the second highest-selling album of the year, behind Kanye West's "Graduation", which sold a whopping 957,000 in its first week of release in September.

With Alicia Keys holding the top spot this week, Josh Groban managed to move up to second spot on the Billboard 200. Groban's holiday album, "Noel", shot up from sixth place last week to second place with 223,000 copies sold. That increase in sales also allowed Josh Groban to beat out Celine Dion's first album in four years. "Taking Chances" debuted in the third spot on this week's charts, as Dion's latest offering managed to sell 214,000 copies. In fourth place this week, "Now 26", the compilation album that never seems to end, managed to move 208,000 copies this week. That beat out Garth Brooks' "The Ultimate Hits", which fell from third spot to fifth spot on the strength of 204,000 copies sold.

In sixth place this week is The Eagles "Long Road Out of Eden", which sank from its second place position last week. The Eagles had seen their newest album eclipse Britney Spears' "Blackout" when both albums were released a few weeks ago. While Britney Spears' album has since fallen out of the Top Ten, The Eagles have stayed strong, moving 197,000 copies of "Long Road Out of Eden" this week. Meanwhile, with rumors of a reunion tour slated next year surrounding Led Zeppelin, the group's latest collection, "Mothership", debuted in the seventh spot this week, with 136,000 copies moving off store shelves.

Jay-Z is still hanging around the top ten with "American Gangster". The rapper's most recent #1 album fell to eighth place with 131,000 copies being sold, while ninth place belongs to Carrie Underwood and "Carnival Ride", which moved 113,000 this week. Rounding out the top ten is Chris Brown's "Exclusive", which sold 110,000 copies in its second week of release.