CHART PREVIEW:
GEORGE STRAIT, YING-YANG TWINS TO CONQUER COLDPLAY

As the chart-grinding machinery creaks to life post-Fourth and squeezes out another like one more conveyor-belt sausage in the meat-packing house of life, the predictions we brought you last week based on early sales trends appear to be holding.

To wit, country mainstay George Strait is poised to see his new one, Somewhere Down in Texas (MCA Nashville), top this week’s proceedings with a first-week total approaching 250k. And following Strait in one of the more tantalizing contrasts of recent weeks, steaming-hot crunk duo the Ying Yang Twins are set to take #2 with United State of Atlanta (TVT), which looks like it will debut with about 150k in first-week sales.

That means last week’s #1 and #2, Coldplay and Mariah Carey, will each likely move down two slots to #3 and #4, respectively.

Also debuting this week is Cassidy’s I’m a Hustla (J Records), which should fill out this week’s Top 5 with first-week sales of 85k-90k. Meanwhile, Vivian Green’s Vivian (Sony Urban/Columbia) and Anthony Hamilton’s Soulife (Atlantic/Rhino) are expected to move about 50k apiece.

Check this space for a final rundown once this week’s chart is final this afternoon.