Madonna At #1 Again With MDNAchain saw images

Madge's 12th studio album sells 359,000 copies, giving singer her fifth straight #1.
By Gil Kaufman

Madonna
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

Madonna will retain her claim to the pop throne next week when her 12th studio album, MDNA, debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. This will be the singer's fifth straight #1 album, and its sales of 359,000 were more than enough to outpace the #2 debut from fellow veteran Lionel Richie.

Richie marks a return to the upper reaches of the charts with his hook-up with country artists on Tuskegee, which sold 199,000 copies, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

With her latest chart-topper, Madonna, 53, joins Barbra Streisand as the only woman to top the Billboard albums chart at least eight times; Streisand holds the record with a total of nine #1 albums.

Two seasoned rock bands also debut in the top 10, with Shinedown hitting #4 with Amaryllis (106,000) and the Used returning to the charts at #8 with Vulnerable (32,000).

The rest of the top 10: Adele, 21 (#3, 121,000), "Hunger Games" soundtrack (#5, 64,000), One Direction, Up All Night (#6, 46,000), the deluxe version of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (#7, 33,000), Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball (#9, 28,000) and NOW 41 (#10, 25,000).

The week after they debuted at #3, the Shins drop 11 spots to #14 as business for Port of Morrow dipped by 71 percent to 22,000. Meanwhile, noisemeisters the Mars Volta land at #15 with their latest, Noctourniquet (21,000). All-American Rejects bop in at #18 with Kids in the Street (18,000), and last season's "American Idol" winner, Scotty McCreery, got a big boost after appearing on the show last week, sending his debut, Clear as Day, up 46 spots to #21 as sales picked up by 172 percent to 16,000.

Look for a new #1 next week as Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded crashes the charts.

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