Sade`s ‘Soldier’ storms US chart

Los Angeles: Nearly 10 years after the group`s last studio effort, Sade scored its first No. 1 debut on the US pop album chart Wednesday with the best sales week for a group since the AC/DC album came out in October 2008."Soldier of Love" sold 502,000 copies during the week ended February 14, according to tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan. also setting a new sales record for the band.

Sade`s previous studio release, "Lovers Rock," debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 370,000 copies in November 2000. It went on to sell 3.9 million copies. Sade -- led by vocalist Sade Adu -- previously climbed to No. 1 in 1986 with "Promise," which spent two weeks at the top. It has hit the top 10 with all eight of its albums, beginning with its 1985 debut "Diamond Life," becoming the first group to achieve that feat since Led Zeppelin. On top of all that, it`s the best sales week for an album by a group since AC/DC`s "Black Ice" bulldozed into the chart at No. 1 in October 2008 with 784,000 copies. Last week`s No. 1, country group Lady Antebellum`s "Need You Now," slipped to No. 2 in its third week, shifting 208,000 copies; its tally stands at 897,000 copies. R&B singer Jaheim`s "Another Round" debuted at No. 3 with 112,000 copies. His last studio effort, "The Makings of a Man," opened at No. 11 in Christmas 2007 with 176,000. Country singer Josh Turner lit up the No. 5 spot with his new release "Haywire," which sold 85,000 copies. Christian acttobyMac, a.k.a. Toby McKeehan, entered the chart at No. 6 with "Tonight," which sold 79,000 copies -- both personal bests. Lil Wayne`s "Rebirth" fell two to No. 4 (89,000); Lady Gaga`s "The Fame" dropped three to No. 7 (76,000); and the Black Eyed Peas` "The E.N.D." slipped two to No. 8 (67,000). Susan Boyle`s "I Dreamed a Dream" held steady at No. 9 (51,000), and Taylor Swift`s "Fearless" fell three to No. 10 (50,000). Overall album sales totaled 7.83 million units, down 8% compared to the comparable sales week of 2009 (8.56 million). Bureau Report