Pop Album Chart : Cool J Opens Strong but Needs a Boost

Rapper LL Cool J, the unofficial king of pop-rap now that Hammer is on a long hiatus, opened up at No. 5 with his first album since 1990. Will the album last long in the Top 10? Maybe not. In the pop market, the album needs a boost from a single--and the first single from this album, “How I’m Comin’,” is already dead after three weeks in release. You simply can’t keep “Bodyguard” out of the top spot. Depeche Mode’s “Songs of Faith and Devotion” lasted just one week at No. 1 before the soundtrack reclaimed its position at the top of the chart. Dwight Yoakam’s “This Time,” which had a decent debut week, entering at No. 30, did even better this time, moving up four notches to No. 26. On the pop singles chart, Snow’s “Informer” is No. 1. Whitney Houston must be slipping. She has only one single, “I Have Nothing” (No. 4), in the pop Top 10.

* This soundtrack, which was slipping down the chart, is surging again, jumping from No. 57 to No. 40. It’s probably due to the movie’s recent release on home video, spurring soundtrack sales.

Pop Album Chart

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Last Weeks on the Week Ago Chart 1. “The Bodyguard,” soundtrack 2 1 20 2. “Breathless,” Kenny G 3 2 20 3. “Unplugged,” Eric Clapton 4 3 32 4. “Pocket Full of Kryptonite,” Spin Doctors 6 6 42 5. “14 Shots to the Dome,” LL Cool J 1 6. “Songs of Faith and Devotion,” Depeche Mode 1 2 7. “Ten Summoner’s Tales,” Sting 5 4 4 8. “12 Inches of Snow,” Snow 7 10 11 9. “The Chronic,” Dr. Dre 8 7 16 10. “Lose Control,” Silk 9 8 15 “Pure Country,” George Strait 57 55 29

Source: Billboard Publications Inc.