THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON US!

Yee-hah! It’s another mixed bag on the ol’ HITS chart this week. But even though we’ve been championing the return of rock to the marketplace, we see the ancient form falling a bit, holding onto only two of the top 10 spots. Rawk is now competing with country, which also holds two spots, but falls behind rap and pop, which hold three positions each.

There’s no underestimating the power of country music, as we see this week’s Top 10 bookended by two tried-and-true twangers. Texas troubadour George Strait (MCA Nashville) debuts at #1, with 242k, while DreamWorks Nashville’s Toby Keith rises from last week’s “unlucky” 13 to #10, with 58k units sold.

But there’s no underestimating the continued sales power of hip-hop, either, with three of the Top 10 from the hot rap tip, including TVT’s Ying Yang Twins premiering at #2, with 180k; Cassidy (J Records/RMG) debuts at #5, with 93k and A&M/Interscope’s Black Eyed Peas, fresh from an acclaimed set at Live 8, dropping one spot to #6, with 88k.

“George Strait continues to prove that he's one of the legends in country
music,” says George Deahl of Hastings. “As expected, he easily debuts #1 for us. And Ying Yang Twins debut a strong #2, taking full advantage of their connection with Lil' Jon.”

Rock continues to do battle, though. Capitol’s Coldplay hangs in at #3 this week, with 134k, while Roswell/RCA’s Foo Fighters drop four positions to #7, with 84k. Rounding out this week’s Top 10 are perennial Pop divas—Island/IDJ’s Mariah Carey at #4, with 126k; Gwen Stefani jumping four spots to #8, with 63k and American Idol Kelly Clarkson (RCA/RMG) at #9, with 62k.

Notable debuts: Atlantic/Rhino’s Anthony Hamilton at #12, with 51k; Sony Urban/Columbia’s Vivian Green at #15, with 46k; Island/IDJ’s Cky at #35, with 28k; Sanctuary Urban’s Bizzare at #41, with 26k; Reliant’s Slow Motion at #45, with 23k and Jive/ZLG’s Raheem Devaughan at #48 with 22k.

Also streeting impressively and looking to debut big on next week’s chart are Jive/ZLG’s R. Kelly, Gold Mind/Atlantic’s Missy Elliott and Asylum/Atlantic’s Webbie.