Album Sweep: March 28, 2015...

It's time to kick off this week's "album sweep", sampling the records making their debut on the Top Album Sales chart in Billboard this week, which electronically tracks the vast majority of the sold albums in the United States. As always, I've included highlighted links to buy any of the new sets, along with some of the artists' other major work. But if you can, drop on by an independent record store. It'll do you (and the economy) good!

As opposed to the ridiculous sham the trade magazine has made of the old "Top 200 Albums" chart, which now includes now only singles sales but also internet streaming tallies (so basically they can call anything #1 at this point without contest), Madonna proves again to be the biggest pop star in the world as her thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart sold over 116,000 copies in its first week. It's now her ninth #1 seller and sixth in a row. Her first, Like A Virgin, topped the chart 30 freaking years ago...

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The album Billboard put at #1 on the "Top 200", the soundtrack to the hit TV show Empire, sold less than Madge with 110,000 copies, but edged past hear due to "singles" sales (which is total bullshit, really). Still, 110K is a respectable number for a musical series primed to replace Glee and Nashville in the fan department. (Though a wagging finger at them for making people purchase the "deluxe" version to get "You're So Beautiful", the second biggest-selling performance from the show)...

Country star Luke Bryan drives in at #3 with his professed final spring break album with Spring Break...Checkin' Out. In 2013 his Spring Break...Here To Party compilation topped the albums chart. This new one also goes over 100K in its first week...

After scoring five top-40 albums as a part of a cappella group Pentatonix, Kevin "K.O." Olusola sees his own solo The Renegade EP set featuring his cello playing lands at #25...

British pop singer Olly Murs returns at #37 with his second American release, Never Been Better. The first, Right Place Right Time, went to #19...

The soundtrack to Disney's new live-action adaptation of Cinderella arrives at #39. Back in 1995 the original film's expanded soundtrack popped in at #176...

Australian indie-pop group Sheppard moves in at #41 with Bombs Away. The record went to #2 in their homeland last year...

Veteran Georgia-based Christian music collective NewSong ascends to #42 with Faithful: Live Worship. In 2011, their One True God studio album became their first and sole top-40 effort so far...

While Luke Bryan's new spring break set is at #3, his The Set List: The Complete Spring Break Collection ZinePak Walmart exclusive comes in at #45. The 2-CD set contains the Checkin' Out EP and songs from his other ones, along with a collector's book...

Minnesota rapper and rocker Mod Sun drops in at #64 with his first full length album Look Up...

The Eli Young Band are back at #67 with their Turn It On EP. The country group's last full-length album 10,000 Towns went to #5 last year...

Irish vocal group Celtic Storm enters at #72 with the collection The Very Best Of Celtic Thunder. They peaked at #11 in 2011 with Heritage. The act includes Damian McGinty, who was a cast member of Glee...

Pop/rock act Fences push in at #79 with their sophomore effort Lesser Oceans...

The three-disc 30th Anniversary edition of metal gods Judas Priest's Defenders Of The Faith album rocks in at #86. The original went to #18 in 1984...

As Glee comes to a close, the next to last episode's accompanying EP, Glee: Season Six: We Built This Glee Club, is the final newbie at #88...

That's it for the new crop. Out of these fifteen the five to check out first are the Madonna, Sheppard, Kevin Olusola, Eli Young Band, and Olly Murs records....