NEW YORK (Top 40 Charts) - It was a country showdown at the top of the album chart this week, with
Tim McGraw nearly wrangling the No. 1 spot from
Shania Twain (626,000 copies). One for the second week and giving the country superstar a two-week total of 1.5 million.
"Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors," debuted at No. 2 with about 602,000 copies sold, according to industry figures released Wednesday.
McGraw's wife, country singer Faith Hill, joined him in the top 10 this week. Her album "Cry" jumped from No. 15 to No. 7, and has now sold about 1.3 million copies.
Tupac Shakur continues to sell big more than six years after his death. "Better Dayz," a two-disc collection of posthumous material from the rapper, debuted in the fifth spot, with about 366,000 copies sold.
And coming in at No. 6 is the latest from Jennifer Lopez , "This is Me ... Then," which sold about 314,000 copies in its first week.
Rounding out the top 10 are the debut of Paul McCartney's two-CD live album, Back In The U.S. Live 2002, Avril Lavigne's blockbuster Let Go, and Christina Aguilera's Stripped.
Other strong debuts include:
- Snoop Dogg's Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Boss at No 12,
- System Of A Down's Steal This Album at No 15,
- Dru Hill's Dru World Order at No 21,
- Baby AKA #1 Stunna's Birdman, at No 24,
- Roots' Phrenology at No 28,
- Sum 41's Does This Look Infected? at No 32,
- Barbra Streisand's Duets at No 38 and
- Busta Rhymes's It Ain't Safe No More at No 43.