Cruz tops US chart but Sade slips

09:41 | Friday March 12, 2010

Taio Cruz is the man of the moment, with his US debut single Break Your Heart making a mighty 53-1 leap on the composite Hot 100.

Although only the ninth biggest jump to number one in chart history overall, Break Your Heart takes the record for biggest jump to number one for a new, previously uncharted artist.

All of the eight songs to make bigger jumps to number one have occurred in the last three years, typically making a low debut on the Hot 100 on the strength of airplay, then catapulting to the top as sales kick in.

With Break Your Heart, the number 53 debut was triggered by a small amount of airplay and an off-cycle digital release, which hit the download sites with three days of the reporting week, during which time it snared 31,000 sales.

With a full week at its disposal in the latest frame, it sold a further 253,000 copies, catapulting 50-1 on the digital sales chart, while also improving its radio airplay standing 70-53. Also featuring rapper Ludacris, for whom it is the fifth number one on the Hot 100, Break Your Heart is the fifth number one in America for a UK act this century, following You’re Beautiful by James Blunt (2006), Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis (2008), Viva La Vida by Coldplay (2008) and Down by Jay Sean (2009) – a song which also featured an American rapper in a cameo role, namely Lil Wayne.

While Cruz controls the Hot 100, Sade’s grip on the album chart loosens, with Soldier of Love slipping to number two on sales of 79,000, allowing country trio lady Antebellum to reclaim pole position with Need You Now, on sales of 126,000 copies.

Six debuts crowd into the Top 10 – the highest tally of the year. Leading the new intake, country star Blake Shelton’s six song EP Hillbilly Bone debuts at number three on sales of 71,000.

Danny Gokey, who finished third on last season’s American Idol, follows at number four with My Best Days, on sales of 65,000. The Almost Alice album, one of two soundtrack sets to accompany the theatrical release of the new Tim Burton movie Alice In Wonderland, makes fifth slot on sales of 58,000 copies.

LA Rockers Lifehouse sold 54,000 copies of their sixth album Smoke & Mirrors, which debuts at number six to equal their best chart peak, as previously achieved by their 2000 debut, No Name Face.

R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn takes ninth place with The Love And Master Peace on sales of 45,000 copies – the same tally earned his last album, Love Behind The Melody, a number five debut in 2008. Completing a busy week for newcomers to the top tier, country rookie Easton Corbin’s self-titled debut arrives at number 10, on sales of 43,000.

Ending a 14-week residency in the Top 10, Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream sags 8-18, though with a further 25,000 sales, lifting its life tally to 3,616,000.

Two Brits whose latest albums have already charted in many other territories but were delayed in America, also return to the fray.

Peter Gabriel’s covers set Scratch My Back debuts at number 26, becoming his lowest charting regular release since the fourth and last of his albums entitled simply Peter Gabriel (and also known as 4 and Security to distinguish it from its identically-titled predecessors) reached number 28 in 1982. Scratch My Back is Gabriel’s 14th US chart album, excluding Genesis titles.

Meanwhile, Jamie Cullum’s fifth album, The Pursuit, debuts at number 42, becoming his highest charting set yet Stateside.

His first two albums missed out on chart action there, while 2003’s Twentysomething reached number 83, and 2005’s Catching Tales reached number 49. Cullum’s increasing across the board appeal appears to have been accompanied by a slip in his core jazz audience however – The Pursuit ranks only seventh on the contemporary jazz chart, while Catching Tales topped the chart, and Twentysomething reached number two.

Finally, this week news of two breaking UK acts. Little Boots’ Hands album is just outside the Top 200, and number seven on the Heatseekers list, while La Roux break into the Hot 100 for the first time with their single Bulletproof debuting at number 92. Its success comes five months after their self-titled album debuted and peaked at number 170.