3 Doors Down: Another No. 1 debut on the album chart

If you’ve gone to the movies much in the last year or two, you’ve heard a lot of 3 Doors Down, whose song "Citizen Soldier" was the soundtrack for an unavoidable pre-show Army recruitment ad. But how is the band’s own fan enlistment effort going? The good news for the Mississippi-based rockers is that their newly released, self-titled fourth album is their second effort in a row to debut atop the Billboard/Soundscan chart. But, as is the case for most veteran acts, No. 1 ain’t quite what it used to be, sales-wise. The new set sold 154,000 its first week, looking not quite as battle-ready as 3 Doors Down’s previous disc, Seventeen Days, did when it debuted in 2005 with 231,000 units. Still, most bands these days would take up serious arms to achieve that kind of opening.

Rapper Bun B’s sophomore solo album, II Trill, sold 98,000 and entered at No. 2 (bettering the No. 6 peak for his previous disc). In third place, Dancing With the Stars hoofer Julianne Hough, a two-time champion on the show, moved a surprising 67,000 copies of her country debut. Her first single is now starting to pick up traction on country radio, proving that American Idol isn’t the only reality-show breeding ground for fresh music stars.

Frank Sinatra’s best-of was the hottest holdover on the album chart,
falling to No. 4 with second-week sales of 54,000. Last week’s leader,
Death Cab for Cutie, had a steeper dropoff, landing at No. 5. Filling
out the top 10: Leona Lewis at No. 6, followed by Mariah Carey, Duffy,
Madonna, and Neil Diamond. The biggest sales increase in sight belonged
to alt-rock hip-hoppers the Flobots, whose sales of 30,000 represented
a mammoth 697 percent increase from their previous week’s tally.
Reason? Their indie album got a major-label rerelease.

Some more modest album debuts: Jesse McCartney, in at No. 14 with 30,000 units; Donna Summer, whose first new disc in a decade, timed to coincide with her Idol guest slot, bowed at No. 14 with 23,000; and Green Day side project Foxboro Hot Tubs, who bubbled up to No. 21 with 19,000.

Next week, prepare to usher in Usher, and count on him sticking
around a while. No one’s expecting him to match his blockbuster last
album in this climate, but there is some suspense as to whether the
recent EW cover boy might be able to pass Mariah’s recent 463,000-unit
bow to claim the best first week of 2008.

Frank Sinatra’s best-of was the hottest holdover on the album chart,falling to No. 4 with second-week sales of 54,000. Last week’s leader,Death Cab for Cutie, had a steeper dropoff, landing at No. 5. Fillingout the top 10: Leona Lewis at No. 6, followed by Mariah Carey, Duffy,Madonna, and Neil Diamond. The biggest sales increase in sight belongedto alt-rock hip-hoppers the Flobots, whose sales of 30,000 representeda mammoth 697 percent increase from their previous week’s tally.Reason? Their indie album got a major-label rerelease.

Some more modest album debuts: Jesse McCartney, in at No. 14 with 30,000 units; Donna Summer, whose first new disc in a decade, timed to coincide with her Idol guest slot, bowed at No. 14 with 23,000; and Green Day side project Foxboro Hot Tubs, who bubbled up to No. 21 with 19,000.

Next week, prepare to usher in Usher, and count on him stickingaround a while. No one’s expecting him to match his blockbuster lastalbum in this climate, but there is some suspense as to whether therecent EW cover boy might be able to pass Mariah’s recent 463,000-unitbow to claim the best first week of 2008.