Josh Groban scores third No. 1 album on Billboard 200

PanARMENIAN.Net - Josh Groban scores his third No. 1 album on Billboard 200 this week with "All That Echoes", following his 2003 studio set "Closer" and his 2007 top-seller "Noel". It debuts at the top of the chart with 145,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, AceShowbiz said.

The 31-year-old singer is one of a few artists along with Jack White, Chris Tomlin and TobyMac to have a No. 1 album without even landing any single in the Hot 100 chart's top 40. Despite that, the adult contemporary crooner has managed to sell more than 21 million albums in the U.S., becoming one of the highest selling male pop vocalists since 1990s.

Groban beats this week's runner-up Tim McGraw to the top of the charts, who settles for No. 2 with his album "Two Lanes of Freedom". Nonetheless, McGraw's first album for Big Machine Records lands on top of the Country Albums chart, debuting with 107,000 units and earning the country superstar his 15th top ten album on the chart.

The new "Now" compilation, "Now 45", is at no. 3 selling 87,000 records, making it the latest addition to the list of all previous "Now" albums which have made it to the coveted top ten ranks, with all except the first one debuting in the top ten. At no. 4 is Grammy's Album of the Year "Babel" by Mumford & Sons, climbing up from its no. 7 standing last week with 54,000 units sold, in the wake of its recent Grammy win.

Last week's No. 2, Andrea Bocelli's "Passione", drops to no. 5 with 51,000. Ironically, it now sits one rank above Justin Bieber's "Believe Acoustic", which slaughtered the Italian tenor's album last week to clear the No. 1 spot hands down.

Two more albums debuting in the top ten this week are "Release the Panic" by rock band Red at No. 7 and "The Afterman: Descension" by Coheed and Cambria at No. 9, with almost identical 41,000 sales. Sandwiched in between the two debuts is another chart-dropper, Bruno Mars' "Unorthodox Jukebox", which falls from No. 6 to 8.

Rounding up the top ten is The Lumineers' self-titled album, dropping from No. 9 to 10 despite a 22% increase in its sales this week with 39,000. Their Grammy performance on Sunday of their hit single "Ho Hey" may have helped pump up the sales of their album.