Album Sweep: January 26, 2013 - Part One...

Hey gang, I'm back with the first of this week's now two-part "album sweeps" sampling the new records making their way on to the Top 200 Albums chart in Billboard magazine (now that the holidays are done, there's more releases coming out, so I'm back to two parts). I've included links to buy anything you like if available, or check out iTunes or your local record shop (yes do that)...

The top seller this week is by Christian music artist Chris Tomlin, who sells less than 75,000 but still jumps in at the top spot with Burning Lights. Chris previously placed an album in the top-10 in 2008, with Hello Love.

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Coming in at the #2 position, and the mood-opposite of Tomlin's album, is masked nu-metal group Hollywood Undead with Notes From The Underground, their third studio set. Their last album, American Tragedy, also reached the top-5 in 2011...

California hardcore metal act Black Veil Brides dive in at #7 with their third full-length, Wretched & Divine: The Story Of the Wild Ones. The band peaked at #17 with their previous set, Set The World On Fire...(is it me, or do they sound like Nickelback doing dark metal?)...

The third big rock album coming in at the top-10 this week is veteran Boston-area Celtic punk group Dropkick Murphys, with their eighth studio album, Signed And Sealed In Blood at #9. It follows Going Out In Style, which reached #6 in 2011...

British newcomer Conor Maynard got his start (like Justin Bieber) doing covers on YouTube, but just like the Biebs he has a record of his own now as his debut Contrast arrives at #34, with the singer's own "Usher" (in this case Ne-Yo) in tow...

Another new act, the alt-rock duo Twenty-One-Pilots, jump in at #58 with Vessel....and yes I'm fixated on the drummer Josh Dun here, but I like their sound...

Hard rock bassist Jason Newsted, who was with Metallica from 1986 through 2001, has a new trio under his surname, and they debut at #62 with Metal, an EP right now offered solely digitally through iTunes or on CD at his website...

That does it for the first half of the sweep...out of these seven the three I would go for first are the Dropkick Murphys, Twenty-One-Pilots, and Conor Maynard.

I'll return tomorrow with part two, with two compilations from soul legends, as well as a soundtrack to a Golden Globed show.