GooberSnattch
Oct 22nd, 2003, 04:16 PM
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - When Kelly Clarkson's first album "Thankful" debuted at No. 1 this spring, it served as an affirmation of FOX's "American Idol" and that talent show's ability to producer legitimate popular artists. Consider the debut of Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man" to be a major reaffirmation.
Aiken, the runner-up in the second season of "American Idol," took the top spot on the Billboard 200 this week, selling 613,000 copies of his first CD. That amazing number doubled up the 297,000 copies of Clarkson's albums that moved when it was first released.
The ginger-haired crooner survived general apathy from music critics and performed even more impressively against his competition on this week's charts. Last week's leader, Ludacris' "Chicken & Beer," fell to a distant second, selling fewer than 200,000 copies.
"Measure" was buoyed by the strength of Aiken's best-selling single, "This Is the Night," which has already sold 912,000 according to Billboard.com. That hit spent two weeks in the lead position on the singles chart back in June.
"American Idol" fans seemingly spent their entire allowances last week on the Aiken album. A second release spawned by the popular reality series, "American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics," debuted much less impressively, coming in at No. 72 in its first week on the charts.
Ruben Studdard, the winner of the second "American Idol," is expected to release his first album, "Soulful," in November.
Aiken, the runner-up in the second season of "American Idol," took the top spot on the Billboard 200 this week, selling 613,000 copies of his first CD. That amazing number doubled up the 297,000 copies of Clarkson's albums that moved when it was first released.
The ginger-haired crooner survived general apathy from music critics and performed even more impressively against his competition on this week's charts. Last week's leader, Ludacris' "Chicken & Beer," fell to a distant second, selling fewer than 200,000 copies.
"Measure" was buoyed by the strength of Aiken's best-selling single, "This Is the Night," which has already sold 912,000 according to Billboard.com. That hit spent two weeks in the lead position on the singles chart back in June.
"American Idol" fans seemingly spent their entire allowances last week on the Aiken album. A second release spawned by the popular reality series, "American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics," debuted much less impressively, coming in at No. 72 in its first week on the charts.
Ruben Studdard, the winner of the second "American Idol," is expected to release his first album, "Soulful," in November.