RECOVERY PROCESS BEGINS

One week after consumers proved its important role in the aftermath of the 9/11 catastrophe, sales remained solid, with both Roc-A-Fella/IDJ's Jay-Z (1-1) and Roadrunner/IDJ's Nickelback (2-3) posting strong second-week performances.

It was a decent week for debuts, too, with Atlantic's Tori Amos bowing at #4, followed by RCA Nashville's Martina McBride at #6, Verve's Diana Krall at #8, Epic's Macy Gray at #9, Radioactive's Live at #12 and Elektra's Gerald Levert at #14.

Two other female artists joined Tori in the Top Five. Not that it should surprise you, but J Records' Alicia Keys had another epic week, jumping 3-2 while showing every sign that she will remain a sales powerhouse throughout the 4Q.

And then there's the Enya story. This week, the album jumped 18-5. Wow. Reprise has pushed 3 million units out the door since its November release, with OTC sales around the 2 million mark. And this one's only getting bigger.

That said, it's clear that the events of 9/11 have contributed to the popularity of Enya's track, "Day Without Rain." Numerous radio stations have created their own "tribute" mixes, using news bites against an Enya soundbed. According to one programmer, "tribute mix" or not, Enya's music could hardly be more appropriate for these troubled times.

Naturally, the programmer was far too fearful of doing anything as radical as talking to us on the record. We're grateful some things are still the way they used to be.