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Ciara's Evolution Tops Em and Gwen's Creations
12/13/2006 11:00 AM, E! Online
David Jenison
Ciara may have evolved, but fans still can't get enough of her goodies.
Two years ago, the Austin-born R&B songbird broke big with her Hot-100 chart-topper "Goodies." Now, powered by her new single, "Promise," the Grammy-winning babe has bagged her first number-one album, outselling the likes of Gwen Stefani and Eminem along the way.
Ciara's The Evolution sold north of 338,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Her debut album Goodies, which also spawned the Top-5 hits "1, 2 Step" and "Oh," along with the title cut, topped out at number three.
"My second record is called The Evolution, because I feel like I'm graduating to a whole new level creatively and musically," Ciara (pronounced "Sierra") said in a statement. "I cowrote every song and coproduced many of the tracks on this record, so it really reflects where I am as an artist."
Her Darwinistic feat is even more impressive considering the competition.
Eminem Presents: The Re-Up moved 309,000 copies to open at number two. The new disc features Em as both rapper and producer on an album meant to promote new Shady Records artists (specifically, Stat Quo, Ca$his and Bobby Creekwater). The disc also features new Em and 50 Cent collaborations, including "Jimmy Crack Corn" and "The Re-Up." (Both rap superstars join Ca$his and Lloyd Banks for the lead single, "You Don't Know.")
Em's supposed swan-song disc, Curtain Call, is still on the charts at 172 after 53 weeks. Next up: The unretired rapper plans to release a new D12 album dedicated to slain member Proof and a new studio album in '07, as reported by singer Akon, who collaborated with Em on "Smack That."
Meanwhile, Stefani's The Sweet Escape sold a sturdy 243,000 copies to finish third for the week. Her previous solo album, 2004's Love. Angel. Music. Baby., maxed out at number five, despite being certified triple platinum. Stefani's only number-one album came while fronting No Doubt, whose Tragic Kingdom hit the top spot over 11years ago.
Thanks to an Oprah appearance last week, Il Divo's Siempre jumped 10 spots to number six, selling 166,000—a 128 percent jump from the previous week. The TV appearance also helped propel the operatic foursome's other discs: The group's self-titled disc jumped 64 spots to 66, and Ancora was up 74 spots to 87. (Oddly enough, The Christmas Collection failed to reenter the charts.)
Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts, now in its 56th week on the charts, reentered the Top 10 at number 10 with 126,000 copies. Underwood, who nabbed four Grammy nominations last week, has sold nearly 4.1 million copies of her debut—more than any other disc currently in the Top 20.
The rest of the Top 10 were familiar faces: the Hannah Montana soundtrack at number four, Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 23 at five, Daughtry's self-titled offering at seven, the Beatles' Love at eight and Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong at nine.
Surprisingly, after landing the third-biggest bow of the year, Jay-Z's Kingdom Come fell from the Top 10 in its third week, dropping to 15. Still, that's not as dire a drop as Incubus' Light Grenades, which plummeted 36 spots after last week's chart-topping debut.
Elsewhere, the Dreamgirls soundtrack opened at 20 on 92,000 copies. The soundtrack features tracks from the film's cast, including Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, American Idol's Jennifer Hudson and Eddie "Party All the Time" Murphy.
The soundtrack deserved a higher ranking, since the collector's edition was tallied separately, opening at 132 with 14,000 in sales. Combined sales would put the disc at number 15 with nearly 107,000 total copies sold. Expect the sales to be goosed once the film is released in theaters on Christmas Day.
Also making strong showings: Lil Scrappy's Bred 2 Die * Born 2 Live sold 82,000 copies at 24, while Brian McKnight's 10th studio album, Ten, sold 63,000 discs at 32. Other notable debuts included Project Pat of Three 6 Mafia at 64 with Crook By Da Book: The Fed Story and Nickelodeon teen star Drake Bell at 81 with It's Only Time.
Finally, indie rockers Panic! At the Disco celebrated their one-year chart anniversary at 88 with A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. For the week, the disc added another 21,000 copies to its 1.4 million-copy tally.
Here's a rundown of the Top 10 albums:
1. The Evolution, Ciara
2. Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, various
3. The Sweet Escape, Gwen Stefani
4. Hannah Montana soundtrack, various
5. Now That's What I Call Music! 23, various
6. Simpre, Il Divo
7. Daughtry, Daughtry
8. Love, Beatles
9. Wintersong, Sarah McLachlan
10. Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood
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