Album Sweep: October 18, 2014 - Part One...

Hey folks, it's time to kick off the first half of this week's "album sweep", sampling the records making their debut on this week's Top 200 Albums sales chart in Billboard magazine. As usual, I've included highlighted links to buy any of the new sets, as well as some of the artists' other major work - support the talent!

The top-selling album of the previous week is the ninth full-length studio album for country star and The Voice team leader Blake Shelton, who sells just over 100,000 copies of Bringing Back The Sunshine in its first week. He's been to #1 on the "big" albums chart once before with his Red River Blue set from 2011..

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For the first time in nearly four years, both the #1 and #2 albums are country sets, as crossover trio Lady Antebellum enter in the runner-up spot with their sixth album 747. Their last three non-seasonal sets have topped the chart, including their last, Golden from last year...

Prince has two albums entering in the top-10 this week, something not done since rapper Nelly had a two companion albums pop in at #1 and #2 ten years ago. In this case, the records are separate entities, and his solo set Art Official Age lands at #5. He's had four albums top the list, the latest being 3121 from 2006...

The other new effort from the Purple One is a more rock-inflected "collaborative" offering with 3rdEyeGirl with PlectrumElectrum.

The fifth new one in the top ten at #10 belongs to Irish rockers the Script with their fourth record No Sound Without Silence. It's their second to reach this level; their second release Science & Faith went to #3 in 2010...

Rock/Americana veteran Lucinda Williams returns at #13 with the double-album Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone. Back in 2008 she scored her first top-ten rank with Little Honey...

Swedish alt-rock singer/songwriter Tove Lo makes her debut at #14 with her first full-length album Queen Of The Clouds...

Former My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way arrives at #16 with his first solo effort Hesitant Alien...

After her performance on Dancing With The Stars, adult-pop singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat moves in at #17 with her fifth full-length release Gypsy Heart. In 2009 her sophomore set Breakthrough topped the Top 200...

Childish Gambino, the rap persona of actor Donald Glover, flies in at #18 with his EP Kauai. Last year his full-length Because The Internet went to #3...

Every one of rocker Melissa Etheridge's non-holiday releases (including a greatest hits set) have made the top-40, and her latest, This Is M.E. continues the streak at #21. Her highest so far came in 1995 with her Your Little Secret album which peaked at #6...

The new version of the long-running Christian pop compilation WOW Hits 2015 ascends to #23. Since the first volume in 1995, at least eight have made the top-40...

It seems Disney is jumping on the hipster vinyl boom, as Frozen: The Songs, which got a record release as well as CD, and only containing the vocal songs from the movie, skates in at #30. I'm sure the sales are almost all vinyl, since you can get the CD of the whole soundtrack for a pittance more...

Electro-house producer/DJ Steve Aoki lands his first top-40 record as Neon Future.I enters at #32...

American banda musician Luis Coronel comes in at #33 with Quiero Ser Tu Dueno. It's also his first in the top-40...

Fort Lauderdale metalheads Nonpoint are back at #39 with their eighth album The Return, making their first appearance in the top-40...

That's all for the first half of the new bunch...out of these sixteen the five I would go for first are the Lady Antebellum, Tove Lo, Nonpoint, Childish Gambino, and Colbie Caillat releases...

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