Billboard Breakdown (2/25)

It worked for Maxwell and it’s working for Sade. Maybe artists need to take a break for close to a decade and make a valiant return. Who says albums can’t sell anymore?

1. Sade – Soldier Of Love – 191,189

• Already half way to platinum and her numbers could very well still be above 100K next week. A beautiful album from a beautiful songstress with beautiful results. Life is beautiful, ain’t it?

3. Black Eyed Peas – E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) – 66,871

• I’ve never been big fans of their music, but I respect it. They had a show at the Verizon Center in D.C. the other night, which I heard was filled to capacity. That said, these numbers don’t surprise me. I expect to see them on the charts for the duration of the tour.

5. Lil Wayne – Rebirth – 59,070

• He appears to be just fine considering he sat through EIGHT root canals. The album leaked in December. He still has a video for “Drop The World” on the way. He’s already a Trending Topic on Twitter for his abstract tweets. With his last few days as a free man, I’d say Weezy’s winning.

6. Susan Boyle – I Dreamed A Dream – 52,605

• That’s right. She’s STILL in the top 10. My prediction of five milli may not be too far off.

16. Rihanna – Rated R – 26,327

• “Rude Boy” is a smash. I wonder if she’ll ever release a video for “Photographs” with Will.I.Am. though. That’d be a good look.

29. Kidz Bop – Kidz Bop 17 – 16,308

• I know these things sell insane amounts of records (it is the 17th installment, you know), but I have NEVER in life met anyone who has purchased one of these. Well, no one who admitted it.

35. Corrine Bailey Rae – The Sea – 15,542

• I’m a fan of Rae’s, so I would have definitely liked to see her sell a tad more than this. Then again, it has been out over a month. “Paris Nights/New York Mornings” is still on repeat.

45. Eminem – Relapse – 13,721

• He wasn’t on the charts last week, but something caused a boost in sales this week. Go figure. Whatever it is, I’m more than ready for Relapse 2 and those Just Blaze produced tracks. I can’t even begin to fathom what those sound like.

Credit: Foxx Files