Chad Batka for The New York Times Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden.On the music charts this week, Taylor Swift returns to No. 1 after a brief exile in second place, outselling new releases by Wiz Khalifa and Kesha as well as a blizzard of holiday-themed albums.
“Red†(Big Machine), Ms. Swift's latest release, had blockbuster sales when it came out in October, holding at No. 1 for its first three weeks before relinquishing the top slot to a succession of new albums by One Direction, Rihanna and Alicia Keys. “Red†never dipped below No. 2, however, and this week it takes the pinnacle for a fourth time with 167,000 sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In its seven weeks out, the album has sold nearly 2.4 million copies.
In second place this week is the Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa - if you have seen a Steelers game in the last two years, you have probably heard his song-turned-anthem “Black and Yellow†- with his latest release, “O.N.I.F.C.†(Rostrum/Atlantic), which sold 141,000. The next-biggest new album is Kesha's “Warrior†(Kemosabe/RCA); the single “Die Young†has been inescapable on pop radio, but the album starts at No. 6 with a modest 85,000 sales.
Among the other big sellers this week, it's no surprise that a lot are Christmas records, which each year tend to be decent sellers and are occasionally big hits. Rod Stewart's “Merry Christmas, Baby†(Verve) has stayed in the Top 10 for six weeks, holding at No. 3 this wee k with 127,000 sales; Michael Bublé's “Christmas†(Warner Brothers), regifted from last year, sold 106,000 to reach No. 5 this week; Blake Shelton, the country singer and judge on “The Voice,†is No. 9 with 68,000 sales of his seasonal album, “Cheers, It's Christmas†(Warner Brothers).
Also this week, One Direction's “Take Me Home†(Syco/Columbia) holds at No. 4 with 107,000, and Ms. Keys's “Girl on Fire†(RCA), last week's best seller, fell to No. 7 with 77,000.
