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Briefly: George Strait, Ray Charles, POTUSA, Duran Duran
For the second consecutive week, George Strait 's "50 Number Ones" has outsold all other albums in the U.S.
Strait's hits collection moved another 190,000 copies during its second week in stores, enough to keep it ahead of Usher 's "Confessions," which stays locked at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 album chart.
Nelly's "Suit" makes a small bounce from No. 5 to No. 3, while Celine Dion's "Miracle" makes its debut at No. 4.
Rapper Mos Def rounds out the Top 5 with "The New Danger"; the debut marks his highest-ever position on the album chart.
Ray Charles posthumously has scored his first platinum album. Charles' recently released "Genius Loves Company," a collection of 12 new duets, has shipped 1 million copies in the U.S., and two million copies worldwide, according to Concord Records. The Recording Industry Association of America made the album's platinum status official last week.
Presidents of the United States of America will capitalize on their name with a five-day, election-week residency on "Last Call with Carson Daly." The group will serve as the show's house band from Nov. 3-9, according to a press release.
"Astronaut," the first new Duran Duran studio album in over two decades to feature the group's original lineup, debuted at No. 17 on The Billboard 200 album chart, No. 3 on the U.K. chart and No. 2 in Italy, according to the group's publicist. The band is due to guest on "The Ellen Degeneres Show" and "Last Call with Carson Daly" on Thursday (10/21), and "The Late Late Show" on Monday (10/25).
The group will embark on a U.S. tour in February 2005.
