Tim McGraw`s 'Let It Go' bowed at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 in a week with seven releases that debuted in the top 10. The Curb effort sold 325,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, giving the country superstar his fourth No. 1 on the tally, and his ninth on Top Country Albums. His last studio set, 2004`s 'Live Like You Were Dying,' moved 766,000 in its first week.
The 24th installment in the 'NOW! That`s What I Call Music' compilation series entered The Billboard 200 at No. 2, selling 230,000. It was the smallest debut sales week for a 'NOW' album since 2003`s 'NOW 13' sold only 171,000. All 24 of the collections have cracked the top 10 of the chart.
Rapper Young Buck notched his second top three album as 'Buck the World' (G-Unit/Interscope) started at No. 3 with 140,000. It`s the follow-up to 2004`s 'Straight Outta Ca$hville,' which also landed at No. 3 with 261,000. In addition, 'Buck the World' opened at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, his first chart-topper on that tally.
With help from the Hot 100-topping hit "This Is Why I`m Hot," Mims` 'Music Is My Savior' debuted at No. 4 with 78,000. The Capitol set was the artist`s first album. Akon`s 'Konvicted' (SRC/Universal) climbed from No. 6 to No. 5 with 67,000 copies, a small sales decrease of 3 percent. Daughtry`s self-titled RCA debut slipped 4-6 selling 66,000 (-13 percent).
Good Charlotte`s fourth Daylight/Epic album, 'Good Morning Revival,' bowed at No. 7, also with 66,000 units. The rock troupe`s last set, 2004`s 'The Chronicles of Life and Death,' had a much stronger entry at No. 3 with 199,000.
Joss Stone`s Virgin effort 'Introducing Joss Stone' slid 2-8 with 58,000 (-51 percent).
Elton John earned his 16th top 10 album with the retrospective 'Rocket Man: Number Ones' (Rocket/Island), which entered at No. 9 with 49,000. The British songwriter`s last set to reach the top 10 was 'The Big Picture,' which also hit No. 9 back in the fall of 1997. This was also John`s seventh hits compilation (including 1990`s four-disc 'To Be Continued...') to enter the chart.
Jennifer Lopez` first Spanish-language effort, 'Como Ama Una Mujer,' bowed at No. 10 with 48,000. The Epic set bowed at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and Top Latin Pop Albums as well. Her last studio set, 2005`s 'Rebirth,' entered the big chart at No. 2.
Ten more titles bowed inside of the top 50 this week. Redman`s long-awaited Def Jam set 'Red Gone Wild' debuts at No. 13 with 44,000. Rapper Lil` Flip started right behind him at No. 14 with 'I Need Mine' (Asylum/Warner Bros., 43,000). Stevie Nicks` Reprise hits compilation 'Crystal Visions ... The Very Best of Stevie Nicks' earned a No. 20 entry with 34,000, while the 'Disneymania 5: Music Stars Sing Disney Hits... Their Way!' compilation debuted at No. 27.
Other new releases to impact the chart this week included British singer/songwriter Mika`s debut 'Life in Cartoon Motion' (Casablanca, No. 29, 30,000), rapper Prodigy`s 'Return of the Mac' (Koch, No. 32, 27,000), Alabama`s 'Songs of Inspiration II' (RCA, No. 33, 26,000), Jack Ingram`s 'This Is It' (Big Machine, No. 34, 26,000), Macy Gray`s 'BIG' (Geffen, No. 39, 23,000) and Kaiser Chiefs` 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob' (Universal/Polydor, No. 45, 17,000).
Clutch, Machine Head, Third Day, Los Tigres Del Norte, Tha Dogg Pound, Grupo Bryndis, Ivy Queen and the John Butler Trio were also new to The Billboard 200 this week.
Album sales were up 4.7 percent from last week`s total at 9.1 million units and down 15.4 percent compared to the same week last year. Overall album sales for the year were down 16.6 percent from last year at 117.1 million units.