Album Sweep: January 12, 2013....

Hey gang...It's time for this week's very short but sweet "album sweep", where I sample the new records making their way on to the Top 200 Albums chart for the first time in Billboard magazine.

Taylor Swift's Red ends up the top selling album this week, pushing almost 250 thousand copies, though the Les Miserables soundtrack had a great surge, placing at #2.

There are only three albums spending their first week on the chart this time out, and the biggest is actually a revamped collection from soft-rock legends the Carpenters, who are at #45 with Singles 1969-1981. The original "Singles", which covered up until 1973,  was a #1 album for the siblings. It has all of their dozen top-10 pop singles, plus a couple classic gems, and if you don't own anything by them, start with this. It'll make you feel good.

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


...and now for something different, entering at #99 is the soundtrack to the movie Django Unchained, the new Quentin Tarantino film. With music by Anthony Hamilton, Rick Ross, and John Legend, as well as score music from Ennio Morricone, it's quite the eclectic set (let alone the track titles)...

The final new album at #200 is the compilation UKF Dubstep 2012 which has no A-list names, no recognizable radio hits, just 100% dubstep madness...

Well that's it...all three albums have their merits, and are worth a closer look. Later on tonight I'll have the latest in Britain (assuming there is anything new there this week).. Cheers!