Album Sweep: August 23, 2014 - Part One...

Hey gang, I'm back to start the first half of this week's "album sweep", sampling the records making their debut on Billboard magazine's official Top 200 Albums chart. As always, I've included highlighted links to buy the new stuff as well as some of the artists' other big work. Support the talent!

The top-selling album in the U.S. this week is the Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack collection, which climbs two notches to the top in its second week, selling over a hundred thousand copies...

Coming in at #2 is the 51st installment in the American version of Now That's What I Call Music!. Volume 50 managed to top the chart earlier this year. This one has eight songs that reached the top-10 on Billboard's Hot 100, including #1's "Rude" and "Fancy"...

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Heavy metal band Godsmack is back at #3 with their sixth studio album 1000hp. Their previous three all topped the chart, the most recent being The Oracle in 2010...

Indie-rock group Spoon land their third straight top-ten effort as They Want My Soul comes in at #4. It matches their previous best with their last set Transference in 2010...

British "boy-band" the Vamps debut at #10 with their first release, the EP Somebody To You. The five-track mini-set has two of their British top-5 hits, along with covers of One Direction and 5 Seconds Of Summer...

A second NOW! release makes the chart as Now That's What I Call Party Anthems 2 is in at #20. Included are dance hits from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Flo Rida, and more...

Singer/songwriter Andy Grammer scores his first top-40 album as his second full-length release Magazines or Novels enters at #27...

Christian rock group Family Force 5 ascend to #30 with Time Stands Still, their fourth album.

Melodic hardcore band Wovenwar, which includes the members of As I Lay Dying that are not incarcerated, along with singer Shane Blay, make a splash at #36 with their self-titled debut album...

Kansas City rappers Ces Cru nab their first top-40 album as Codename: Ego Stripper arrives at #40...

Veteran glam metal band Kix are back at #49 with Rock Your Face Off. Back in 1988 they went to #46 with Blow My Fuse...

Akron Ohio gospel artist Swoope places at #55 with his second studio album Sinema...
 

Gospel singer Smokie Norful pops in at #67 with Forever Yours...

That's it for the first half of the new bunch...Out of this dozen the three I would go for first are the Spoon, Godsmack, and Andy Grammer sets...

I'll be back tomorrow with part two...