Alicia Keys

R&B singer Alicia Keys’ new CD ‘As I Am,’ debuts at number one after selling 742,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The set, which boast hit single “No One,” and was aided by constant promotion on MTV and elsewhere, lands the best sales week for a solo female artist since Norah Jones' ‘Feels Like Home’ moved one million copies in 2004. Keys’ 2001 LP Songs in A Minor sold 235,800 copies to enter the top 200 at #1 while 2003's The Diary of Alicia Keys scanned more than 618,300 copies; her 2005 Unplugged set sold close to 196,000 units. Plus, As I Am, according to the latest SoundScan totals, walked away with the chart's peak position, with her closest competitor, Josh Groban's Christmas-themed Nëel, trailing at #2 with sales reported at 223,000. After Keys, the next biggest new entry was from Celine Dion, who sold 214,000 copies of her first album in four years to land at number three. The Now 26 hits compilation snagged number four (207,000), while the Led Zeppelin hits compilation, Mothership, moved 136,000 units for a number seven bow. Albums from Carrie Underwood and Chris Brown round out the top ten.