Album Sweep: October 20, 2012 - Part One...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off this week's "album sweep", where I sample the new records making their debut on the Top 200 Albums chart in Billboard magazine. I'll tackle the first half of the 31 entries in this post, and like always I'll link to where you can buy it on Amazon, if available.

This week Mumford & Sons follow up their year-best debut with another week at the top, still selling almost 170,000 copies this week of their sophomore set Babel. But even though the top spot is static, there are seven new albums out of the top-10 sellers.

The top entry this week, at #2, is the only other album to shift over 100,000 copies this week. It's by another British rock band, Muse, who also appeared on Saturday Night Live last week to promote their sixth studio album, The 2nd Law. It's their third set to make the US top-10, and their highest charting album as yet.

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Coming in at #3 is Latin soul singer Miguel (Pimentel), with his second studio album Kaleidoscope Dream. It contains his #1 R&B hit "Adorn"...

Placing at #5 is the Canadian hard rock outfit Three Days Grace, with their third straight top-5 effort, Transit Of Venus. Their last set, Life Starts Now, made it to #3 in 2009. On the new album is the #1 mainstream rock hit this week, "Chalk Outline"...

Jazz singer and Mrs. Elvis Costello Diana Krall is at #6 with her tenth studio album, Glad Rag Doll. Her last one, Quiet Nights, went to #3 in 2009, and the new set is her fifth consecutive non-seasonal set to make the US top-10....

Twelve-year-old singing prodigy Jackie Evancho has been the biggest thing to ever come out of America's Got Talent, even though she only placed second. Her third top-10 effort is Songs From The Silver Screen at #7, and it has cameos from the likes of Chris Botti, Joshua Bell, and her brother Jacob...

Another singer who gained her exposure from TV, British singer Cher Lloyd originally was a finalist on that country's (original) version of the X Factor, where she finished fourth (Matt Cardle won that year). Her debut album, Sticks & Stones, has been retooled for the States, though it contains all three of her UK top-40 hits, including her American breakthrough, "Want U Back"...

 The seventh title to make the top-10 is by veteran Irish singer/musician Van Morrison, who was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the same year the singer above, Cher Lloyd,  was born. Chew on that. Well he proves he is still relevant as both his albums to make the top 10 were from the last four years. The second, Born To Sing: No Plan B, comes in at #10...

Entering at #15 is DJ/Mixtape producer DJ Drama from Philadelphia, with his fourth and highest-charting set yet, Quality Street Music...

NoCal hard rockers Papa Roach are back with their seventh studio set, The Connection, at #17. Ten years ago their third, Lovehatetragedy, went to #2...

Papa Roach seem like veterans for being around since 2000 on the chart, but they can't compare to the sisters from the Northwest, Heart, who arrive at #24 with their fourteenth studio album, Fanatic. Their first album, Dreamboat Annie, went top-10 back in 1976, and their self-titled comeback smash topped the album charts in 1985..

And now for someone not even born in 1985 (or ten years later, for that matter), Australian teen star Cody Simpson comes in at #27 with his first full-length album, Paradise. Last year, his EP Coast To Coast peaked at #12 in the US...

Californian Steven Ellison, who records under the moniker Flying Lotus, who scores his first chart album at #34 with his fourth full-length effort, Until The Quiet Comes. The experimental jazz musician is a relative of jazz-great John Coltrane's wife, pianist Alice.

German DJ/EDM artist Zedd topped the dance chart with "Spectrum" from his album entering at #38, Clarity. It also has cameos from OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, Ellie Goulding, and Bright Lights...

The Piano Guys are from St. George, Utah, which is right outside beautiful Zion National Park, and the group including two musicians and three video editors are a big hit on YouTube, riffing off of current hits in a classical crossover way. Their channel has over 800,000 subscribers, and 156 million views, and their first album to make the big chart is their self-titled set at #44...(this video is epic)

Faith Evans has had two top-10 albums in her career, with 2005's The First Lady peaking at #2. Her latest endeavor, appearing on the TVOne "reality" series R&B Divas, nets her another hit album as the album titled from the show, and has performances from Evans, cast members Keke Wyatt, Monifah, Syleena Johnson, and Nicci Gilbert from Brownstone, as well as a track with Fantasia and Kelly Price. It drops in at #46...

Well that covers this half of the new stuff..Out of the music here, the three I'd recommend the most are the Muse, Piano Guys, and Zedd sets (though the Heart comes real close)...

Tomorrow afternoon I'll bring you the rest, with new music from Tori Amos, Beth Orton, Jerrod Niemann, and more, including the first Christmas album to make the chart this year (Grrrr) from a guy with The Voice.

Cheers!