Album Sweep: February 14, 2015 - Part One...

I'm ready to roll out the first half of this week's "album sweep", sampling the records making their debut on the Top Album Sales chart in Billboard magazine. As usual, I'll include highlighted links to buy any of the new albums when possible, as well as some of the artists' other major work.

The top-selling album of the week is no surprise as Taylor Swift's 1989 climbs back and spends a tenth non-consecutive week at #1, selling over 71,000 copies.

In the runner-up position is R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo, whose sixth studio release Non-Fiction becomes his sixth top-10 effort. His first two albums, In My Own Words in 2007 and Because Of You a year later, both went to #1....

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The Christian worship collective Bethel Music ascend to #8 with We Will Not Be Shaken. It's their second top 10 placing and highest rank to date...

Former Gap Band lead singer Charlie Wilson puts his seventh solo album Forever Charlie in at #10. It's his fourth to make the top-10; his Uncle Charlie set in 2009 went to #2...

Hard rock band Papa Roach enter at #11 with F.E.A.R.. It's their eighth studio album; three have made the top-10 with Lovehatetragedy reaching #2 in 2002...

Progressive-metal group Periphery have back to back debuts Guns N' Roses-style with the two halves of their latest work. First at #15 is Juggernaut: Alpha.....

On the other side of the coin, their Juggernaut: Omega is in at #16. Both become their first in the top-40...

British indie-folk singer/songwriter George Ezra puts his debut album Wanted On Voyage in at #17...

Detroit "horrorcore" rap duo Twiztid comes in at #18 with their tenth studio set The Darkness. They previously took W.I.C.K.E.D. to #11 in 2009...

The Punch Brothers, a progressive bluegrass act led by Chris Thile, land their first top-40 album with their fourth release, The Phosphorescent Blues...

Brooklyn-based indie-country trio the Lone Bellow move in at #28 with their second album Then Came The Morning. It's their first to make the top-40...

That's all for the first half of the new crop...out of these ten the three I would recommend first are the Lone Bellow, Punch Brothers, and George Ezra albums...

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