Album Sweep: May 11, 2013 - Part One...

Hey guys, it's time to kick off this week's "album sweep", sampling the records making their first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top 200 Albums sales chart this week. As always, I've included links to buy anything you see if available...

The top-selling album of the week belongs to Canadian neo-traditionalist pop singer Michael Buble', who lands his fourth consecutive #1 album with To Be Loved, selling almost 200 thousand copies this week. His last, Christmas, has sold over 3 million copies so far...

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American Idol's season three winner Fantasia scores her second album to hit #2 with Side Effects Of You. Her last one, Back To Me, also peaked at the runner-up spot in 2010...

French modern rock group Phoenix arrive at #5 with their fifth studio album Bankrupt!. It's their first to reach the top-10 - their last, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, went to #37 in 2009...

Heavy metal guru-turned hoiror film powerhouse Rob Zombie is back with his fifth solo studio album Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor at #7, which come to think of it sounds like a plot for one of his movies. All five have made the top-10, with both Hellbilly Deluxe and Educated Horses reaching #5.

Black Eyed Pea leader and producer will.i.am arrives at #9 with his second solo disc to make the chart, #willpower. His last, Songs About Girls, went to #38 in 2007...

"West Side" rapper Snoop Dogg, rechristened as weed-infused "Snoop Lion", smokes in at #16 with Reincarnated. Out of his twelve solo sets, his first three topped the album chart, the last being Da Game is to Be Sold, Not To Be Told in 1998. And yes, the first single features Miley freaking Cyrus...

Last season's X Factor American winner, country singer Tate Stevens, finally gets his self-titled first album out, and it debuts at #18. Tellingly, first-season winner Melanie Amaro's debut album is yet to be released...

Comedian Steve Martin has carved quite a niche for himself in the bluegrass music scene with his banjo playing, and his newest set with Edie Brickell, formerly of the New Bohemians and currently Mrs. Paul Simon, enters the chart at #21 with Love Has Come For You. It's Steve's highest rank with a bluegrass album - he went to #2 back in 1978 with the comedy album A Wild And Crazy Guy...

California indie-pop group the Neighbourhood are welcomed in at #39 with their debut set I Love You...

Country legend George Jones passed away on April 26th at the age of 81, and a few of his collections make their first appearance on Billboard's top albums chart this week as a result. At #42 is his 16 Biggest Hits compilation from 1998. This is the highest rank George ever had on the Top 200 chart - in 2001 his The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001 album made it to #65...

Coming in at #47 is gospel singer Jonathan Nelson with his newest, Finish Strong.

That does it for the first part of this week's album recap...out of these 11 the three I'd recommend first are the Michael Buble, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, and the Neighbourhood sets.

I'll return tomorrow with part two with music from Youngblood Hawke, Frank Turner, Queensryche, and more...