Now Outguns Groban, Urban

11/15/2006 12:01 PM, E! Online
David Jenison

Now that's what I call a stampede.

With the Country Music Association Awards airing last week, the latest pop chart was supposed to be a Nashville-happy affair. Instead, the latest installment in Now That's What I Call Music! and Josh Groban's Awake rode in ahead of Keith Urban, Sugarland and a surging Carrie Underwood.

For the week ended Sunday, Now! 23 took the top spot, selling nearly 337,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The collection features such recent hits as Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous," Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack," Jessica Simpson's "A Public Affair" and Kenny Chesney's "Summertime." (Chesney, who claimed the top CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year, also saw his Road & The Radio shoot up 34 spots to 90).

Now! 23 is the 11th title in the series to top the charts. The new installment is the fourth number-one bow in five tries, with the 21st volume falling short at number two. To date, Now! has released 65 volumes worldwide, selling more than 142 million copies, 60 million of them in the United States.

Though little threat to the top spot, Groban's Awake squeaked past Urban's Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing by 3,000 copies to claim runner-up status. Groban's latest, featuring the new hit "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)," sold 270,000.

Urban, who picked up his third straight Male Vocalist of the Year trophy at the CMAs, canceled his show appearance and all promotional activity in advance of his album release after checking into rehab for alcohol abuse. The scuttled performances likely had a detrimental effect on album sales, which topped out at 267,000. Nonetheless, Mr. Nicole Kidman's lead single, "Once in a Lifetime," registered as the highest debuting country single in Billboard history (the song opened at number 17 on the Billboard 200 pop charts, besting Garth Brooks' number 18 bow for "Good Ride Cowboy").

Peach State country duo Sugarland followed at four with its sophomore album, Enjoy the Ride, selling nearly 211,000 discs. The group, featuring Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, scored a remarkable five hit singles from their 2004 debut, Twice the Speed of Life. (For the debut disc, Sugarland was a trio—Kristen Hall left the group early this year.)

Finally, celebrating its one-year anniversary on the charts this week, Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts rocketed back up to number eight, selling another 72,000 copies in the wake of her CMA success. The American Idol champ might have actually benefited the most from postshow controversy. After Underwood won the trophy for Female Vocalist of the Year, fellow nominee Faith Hill seemed to throw a fit, which got lots of headlines and became a YouTube must-see. (Hill later issued a statement claiming Underwood is "talented and deserving" and calling the hullabaloo "utterly ridiculous.")

With four new albums moving in to the top four spots, the two-week champ—the Hannah Montana soundtrack—dropped to five with 131,000. The soundtrack, like the Disney Channel TV show, is led by singer-actress Miley Cyrus, daughter of onetime country hitmaker Billy Ray Cyrus, who costars on the show.

Though the new pop chart was heavy on the country music, rapper Jim Jones managed to battle his way into the sixth slot, with Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) selling 94,000 copies. The Dave Matthews Band's Best of What's Around, Vol. 1 wrapped the Top 10 bows at 10, moving 65,000 discs.

Missing the Top 10 by just seven copies, opera man Andrea Bocelli had to settle for an 11th-place showing with his latest, Under the Desert Sky.

Other notable newcomers included the Foo Fighters' stripped-down live disc Skin and Bones (49,000 copies; number 21); J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton's Road to Escondido (43,000; number 23); and the wannabe Now! collection Only Hits—featuring tracks by Danity Kane, Cassie, Sean Paul and others (34,000; number 32).

Checking in further down the list were Ricky Martin: MTV Unplugged at 38, Wisin & Yandel Presentan: Los Vaqueros at 44, Michael W. Smith's Stand at 49, Tech N9ne's Everready (The Religion) at 50, Alejandro Sanz's El Tren De Los Momentos at 66, Kirk Franklin Presents: Songs for the Storm, Vol. 1 at 74, Houston rapper Z-Ro's Still Living at 75 and Bowling for Soup's Great Burrito Extortion Case at 88.

With the holidays just around the corner, another Disney Channel-powered entry, Aly & AJ's  Acoustic Hearts of Winter, debuted at 141. Likewise, Now That's What I Call Christmas! 3 is back on the list and climbing, up 23 spots to 42, while Elvis Presley's Elvis Christmas moves onto the Billboard 200 at 200.

Here's a recap of last week's Top 10 albums:

1. Now That's What I Call Music! 23, various

2. Awake, Josh Groban

3. Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing, Keith Urban

4. Enjoy the Ride, Sugarland

5. Hannah Montana soundtrack, various

6. Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment), Jim Jones

7. Like Father, Like Son, Birdman and Lil Wayne

8. Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood

9. FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake

10. Best of What's Around, Vol. 1, Dave Matthews Band