As 21 logs its 22nd nonconsecutive week at atop the Billboard albums chart, Adele continues to pass milestones. Though her sales dropped by 59 percent according to Nielsen SoundScan (blame the Grammys spike last week), the singer still becomes the most dominant artist on the albums chart since another regal rankings ruler in the mid-’80s, Prince. (The Purple Rain soundtrack sat atop the chain of command for 24 weeks back in 1984 and 1985.) It’s also the ninth consecutive week at the top for 21—the longest run since the Celine Dion-powered Titanic soundtrack spent 14 consecutive weeks there in 1998. Adele’s 19 also managed to stay in the top 10 this week, selling 39,000 copies to clock in at No. 7.
Whitney Houston, however, claimed the most spots in this week’s upper echelon. Whitney: The Greatest Hits saw almost no drop in sales since last week (less than 1 percent in total) to power into its second week at No. 2, while The Bodyguard soundtrack and Whitney Houston hold the No. 6 and No. 9 spots, respectively.
Though half of this week's top 10 real estate was controlled by just two veteran artists, it’s been a good week for top-10 newcomers, too. Fun. earned a respectable No. 3 debut with 70,000 copies of Some Nights sold in its first week, and Tyga enters the top 10 on a positive note with a No. 4 performance for his Careless World: Rise Of The Last King. Chiddy Bang’s Breakfast leaps onto the chart at the No. 8 position with 31,000 copies sold.
Compilations round out the top tier of the chart, with Now 41 at No. 5 and the Grammy Nominees 2012 album at No. 10.
The digital songs chart, meanwhile, proves a little more effective at evenly distributing the wealth. Fun. and Janelle Monae jumps back into the No. 1 spot this week, selling 291,000 copies—a 19 percent increase in sales from last week.
Pop divas commanded the bulk of this week’s downloads: Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” bounces back three positions up to No. 2, while Adele’s “Set Fire To The Rain” moves one position down to No. 5. Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” rocks steady at No. 7, and Katy Perry’s “Part Of Me,” last week’s chart-topper, lands at No. 4.
The Wanted’s “Glad You Came” enjoyed a week at No. 3 after a Feb. 21 cover performance on Glee boosted it from the No. 19 spot. B.o.B.’s “So Good” also appears in the top 10 for the first time this week, debuting at No. 6.
Gotye and Kimbra’s serpentine sleeper “Somebody I Used to Know” slingshots back into the top 10 this week, jumping up to the eighth position from 17th last week. LMFAO moves back up one place to No. 9 with “Sexy And I Know It,” while Chris Brown’s “Turn Up The Music” sold 112,000 downloads to take the No. 10 slot. [via Billboard]