Nelly Remains in No. 1 Spot; Chili Peppers Are Runners-Up

Nelly’s “Nellyville” album tops the nation’s album charts for the third consecutive week, easily withstanding the challenge of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new “By the Way” collection, Nielsen SoundScan reported Wednesday.

The rapper’s collection sold another 340,000 copies last week to push its total to the 1.5 million mark. The Chili Peppers’ album sold 282,000 copies to claim second place.

Eminem’s “The Eminem Show,” which has now sold 4.1 million copies since its release in late May, finished third last week with sales of 231,000 copies.

Two other new releases joined the Peppers in the Top 10: the rock group Counting Crows’ “Hard Candy,” which finished No. 5; and rapper Styles’ “A Gangster and a Gentleman,” which ranked No. 6. The remaining positions in the Top 10 were claimed by, in order: Avril Lavigne, Irv Gotti, Josh Groban, Ashanti and Aerosmith.

Nelly’s hold on No. 1 is expected to end next week because the Dave Matthews Band’s new “Busted Stuff” got off to a strong start Tuesday, its first day in stores, retailers said. Early projections suggest the collection should top the half-million mark. The band’s last album sold 730,000 copies in its first week in 2001.

The remix version of Elvis Presley’s 1968 single, “A Little Less Conversation,” remains No. 1 on the singles chart. The original single only reached No. 69 on the charts.

Robert Hilburn

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Sound Advice

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “By the Way” (Warner Bros.). The collection lacks the striking spareness of its “Californication,” but the arrangements are rich and often surprising, deploying strings, spacey effects and acoustic stretches to vary the atmosphere.

Nelly’s “Nellyville” (Universal). The follow-up to the hugely successful “Country Grammar” proves that the urban class-leap story doesn’t have to be hackneyed.

Eminem’s “The Eminem Show” (Aftermath/Interscope). What makes Eminem an extraordinary blend of commercial appeal and artistic accomplishment is that he can move from the darkness of “Cleaning Out My Closet” to the catchiness of “Without Me.”

Avril Lavigne’s “Let Go” (Arista). Girl-rock meets boy-rock in this debut from a 17-year-old Canadian waif with attitude.

The Dave Matthews Band’s “Busted Stuff” (RCA). Matthews has retreated even further into the sanctuary of his own sound, if that’s possible, resulting in a gorgeous sonic flow with absolutely nothing to say.

The Vines’ “Highly Evolved” (Capitol). This highly touted Australian rock group’s debut album alternates between piquant and sweet, like Skittles for your ears.

From Times album reviews