Nickelback Debuts 'Right' On Top

[Sweet Jane 61]

Nickelback Debuts 'Right' On Top

By Margo Whitmire, L.A.

Nickelback has scored the first chart-topping album of its career with "All the Right Reasons" (Roadrunner/IDJMG). The Canadian act's fifth full-length set sold 317,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, to debut at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 in front of new sets by Twista, Sara Evans, Fiona Apple and Franz Ferdinand.

Nickelback has been enjoying the success of lead single "Photograph," which soared 25-4 last week on the Billboard Hot 100 and 36-2 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. The rock group's previous high-water mark came with its 2001 breakthrough, "Silver Side Up," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold nearly 5.1 million copies. In 2003, "The Long Road" opened at No. 6 in 2003 and has sold 2.8 million.

Chicago rapper Twista takes the album chart's second slot with "The Day After" (Atlantic), which features "Girl Tonite," a top 10 title on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. First week sales of 129,000 copies fell far short of the album's predecessor, 2004's "Kamikaze," which opened with 312,000 and bowed at No. 1; it has sold 1.8 million to date.

"Real Fine Place," Evans' fifth RCA studio album, opens at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums list. One-week sales of 126,000 are a career best and the placing is the highest she's seen on either album tally. The set follows 2003's "Restless," which started at No. 20 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 917,000 units to date.

Behind the debuts, Gretchen Wilson's "All Jacked Up" drops to No. 4 following last week's No. 1 debut. The country artist's sophomore Epic album experienced a 54% decrease to sales of 120,000 in its second week at retail.

Sheryl Crow's "Wildflowers" (A&M) drops 2-5 on a 24% fall to sales of 106,000 copies, while Kanye West "Late Registration" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) slips one to No. 6 on a 14% dip to 94,000.

After a six-year hiatus, Apple earns her highest berth on the album chart with "Extraordinary Machine" (Epic), which enters at No. 7 on the strength of 94,000 copies. The placement is higher than the No. 13 opening of 1999's "When the Pawn...," but that set had higher first week sales at 103,000. To date, that disc has sold 925,000.

Franz Ferdinand also scores a career best Billboard 200 peak with the No. 8 entry of "You Could Have It So Much Better" (Domino/Epic). With an 81,000-copy opening week, the Scottish quartet has come a long way from last year's self-titled debut, which had a first-week total of just 8,000 copies to bow at No. 164. But fueled by the modern rock hit "Take Me Out," that album has so far racked up sales of 971,000.

In its 17th week on the chart, the Black Eyed Peas’ "Monkey Business" refuses to back down. The A&M/Interscope album, which previously peaked at No. 2, rebounds one position to No. 9 on a 4% sales gain to 80,000.

Faith Hill benefits from a dose of the Oprah magic as her former chart topper, "Fireflies," springs 40-10. The Warner Bros. Nashville set experienced a 194% jump in sales (79,000) in the wake of an Oct. 3 appearance on television's syndicated "Oprah Winfrey Show." During the appearance, Hill performed the single "Breathe," which previously topped the Billboard Top Country Songs chart for six weeks.

Rapper Trina is living the "Glamorest Life," which debuts at No. 11. A career-best sales week of 77,000 copies results in her highest ranking on the album chart. The Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic album follows 2002's "Diamond Princess," which opened at No. 14 with 67,000 and has sold 490,000 to date.

Gospel veteran Kirk Franklin returns to The Billboard 200 at No. 13 with "Hero" (Gospo Centric), while Melissa Etheridge's first greatest hits project, "The Road Less Traveled" (Island), bows at No. 14.

Other notable debuts this week include Shinedown's "Us and Them" (Atlantic, No. 23); Chris Cagle's "Anywhere But Here" (Capitol Nashville, No. 24); O.A.R.'s "Stories of a Stranger" (Lava, No. 39); Deftones' "B-Sides & Rarities" (Warner Bros., No.42); Cross Canadian Ragweed's "Garage" (Universal South, No. 44); and Liz Phair's "Somebody's Miracle" (Capitol, No. 46).

At nearly 11 million units, overall U.S. album sales were up 6% over the previous week, on par with the same week last year. Sales for 2005 lag behind 2004 by 10% at 426 million units.