Album Sweep: March 22, 2014 - Part One...

It's time to roll out the first half of this week's "album sweep", sampling the records making their first appearance on the Top 200 Albums sales chart in Billboard magazine. As always, I've included highlighted links to buy the albums and the artists' other work when possible. Support the talent!

The top-selling album of the week is the fifth #1 album out of six studio full-lengths for rapper Rick Ross, who sold just under 180,000 of Mastermind in its first week. His first chart-topper, Port Of Miami, came by just in 2006, so this is quite the achievement....

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Pharrell parlays his Oscar performance two Sundays ago to a #2 debut for his second solo album G.I.R.L. It sold over 100K in its first frame...

Broadway star and the lead character of the musical television comedy Glee, Lea Michele, sees her first solo album Louder debut at #4. As a member of the Glee cast she was a part of one #1 album (Glee: The Music Volume 3 - Showstoppers) and two #1 EPs...

The Eli Young Band, a country band named for two of its members Mike Eli and James Young, claim their second top-ten album and highest placing with their third major-label full-length album 10,000 Towns at #5...

Coming in at #10 is R&B singer Ashanti with her fifth studio album and first in six years, BraveHeart. All five have made the top-10, with her first two, Ashanti and Chapter II, both going to #1 in 2002 and 2003...

Country singer David Nail enters at #13 with his third album, I'm A Fire. It's his highest rank on the big chart...

New York-based indie-rock newcomers American Authors debut at #15 with their first full-length album, Oh, What a Life...

Veteran alt-country group the Drive-by Truckers ride in at #16 with their tenth studio album, English Oceans. It's their fourth consecutive top-40 album and highest rank to date...

Christian rapper KB ascends to #22 with his six-song EP 100. In 2012 he went to #34 with his debut full-length, Weight And Glory...

Ridgewood, New Jersey is where indie-rock band Real Estate hail from, and their third album Atlas comes in at #34. It's their first to make the top-40...

Christian alternative rock singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan debuts at #41 with his fourth album Borderland...

Gospel artist Donnie McClurkin arrives at #45 with his Duets album. He went to #12 in 2004 with Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs...

Landing at #48 is Australian hitmaking church group Hillsong United with the white album [remix project]. It's their first to make the top half of the chart. This new one bridges the divide between Christian pop and EDM...

That's it for the first half of the new crop...out of this bakers dozen the three I would pick first are the Pharrell, Eli Young Band, and David Nail albums...

I'll be back tomorrow with the second half...