Album Sweep: September 21, 2013 - Part One...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off the first half of this week's "album sweep" sampling the records making Billboard magazine's Top 200 Albums chart. As always, I've included links to buy anything if available, but please get yourself to and independent record store if you can. It'll do you good..

This week is pretty exciting, as there are three new albums that sell over 100,000 copies this week. It's good to spread the wealth. The winner of them all is the first album from former Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande, Yours Truly. It's already produced four hits on the Hot 100 singles chart, with two making the top-40 so far...

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


At the runner-up position is Toni's sister Tamar Braxton, whose second album Love And War does phenomenally better than her first Tamar, which went to #127 in 2000. Her sister went to #1 with her debut record in 1993 (wow, 20 years ago!)...

The third debut to break the 100K barrier is seminal industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, with their eighth regular studio album Hesitation Marks at #3. Led by Trent Reznor, who has aged quite nicely, it's their sixth total release to reach the top-10 (including one EP); they had back to back #1 albums with The Fragile in 1999 and With Teeth in 2005...

Neo-soul hottie John Legend returns at #4 with his fifth studio set Love In The Future. All five, plus a live album, have made the top-10 on the albums chart, with his second, Once Again, going to #3 in 2006 (this is his third to peak at #4)...

Also on the neo-soul tip at #6 is Jaheim, who is in with his sixth studio album Appreciation Day. In 2006 he topped the albums chart with Ghetto Classics, and five of his records have made the top-10 (the sixth came so close at #11)...

Right under the top-10 this time at #11 is the debut effort from British modern rock band Bastille, with their Bad Blood. The record already topped the album charts in Britain, and spawned five singles into their top-100...

Singer/songwriter Neko Case enters at #12 with The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. Her last solo set in 2009, Middle Cyclone, was her first top-10 record, peaking at #3...

It's a good week for adult R&B this week, as the fourth soul album debuting, Raheem DeVaughn's A Place Called Love Land, comes in at #21. His last two records went to the top-10, with Love Behind The Melody reaching #5 in 2008...

After charting their fourth EP IV last May at #164, British alt-rockers the 1975 debut with their self-titled first album at #28. Like Bastille, they also went to #1 with this set...

Assembly of God mega-church Bethel Church's musical arm places the contemporary religious set Tides at #30...

And at #40 is Wisconsin indie-rock band Volcano Choir's second album and first hit Repave...

That's it for the first half, and damn, all of these records are really great. This is the hardest pick I've had, but to whittle it to three, I'd pick the Ariana Grande, Bastille, and Nine Inch Nails sets...

I'll be back tomorrow with part two, including some great nuggets from some newbies you should get to know...