Who's Number One: Evanescence, one of the last remnants of the deplorable nu-metal movement in rock, returned after a five-year break between discs and went straight to the top of the Billboard 200. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the band's self-titled third album sold 127,000 copies in its first week, which was just enough to edge Adele's 21 for the Number One spot. Amy Lee and company's staying power is impressive, but Evanescence's fan base has eroded since The Open Door debuted with 447,000 copies in 2006. Either their fans have moved on, or they've learned how to illegally download better. Frankly, The Amp is shocked people still listen to this genre, but this could be the best week for nu-metal in the past half-decade: Five Finger Death Punch, another band that fits into the category, grabbed Number Three as their timely American Capitalist sold 91,000 copies.
Who's Bummed: Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina's Wildflower only mustered roughly a third of what Scotty McCreery tallied last week. Alaina's debut sold 69,000 copies in its first week, good for Number Five on the charts, and one slot behind McCreery's Clear as Day, which dropped from Number One to Number Four. Also, the sibling rivalry at the House of Jonas was no doubt renewed this morning after Joe Jonas' solo album Fastlife only sold 18,000 copies in its debut to settle in at Number 14. By comparison, Nick Jonas' Who I Am moved 82,000 copies and bowed in at Number Three when it arrived on charts in 2010.
So That Means: Adele continued to sell in six-digits as 21 racked up another 111,000 to remain at Number Two. Amazingly, 10 months after its release, Adele's sales only decreased one percent from last week; compare that to McCreery's 55 percent dive. Lady Antebellum, Lil Wayne, and Tony Bennett are clung to the Top 10 for another week.
Ashes & Fire & Number Seven: Ryan Adams tied his career-high on the Billboard 200 when his latest LP Ashes & Fire finished in seventh place and 49,000 copies. There was one other debut in the Top 10, Martina McBride's Eleven in the 10 slot. With a pretty weak slate of new releases out this week, don't expect a major facelift in next week's top tier.