SCHOOL STILL HIGH ON CHARTS

Walt Disney Records’ juggernaut High School Musical 2 soundtrack continues its reign on the HITS’ Top 50, with a second consecutive #1 and just short of a million sold, 985k and change, in its first two weeks of release.

Blacksmith/WB conscious hip-hop icon Talib Kweli is a distant second, debuting at #2 with 57k. Other Top 10 bows include Universal Motown rap producer Swizz Beatz at #7 and Metal Blade Christian hard-core thrash rockers As I Lay Dying with An Ocean Between Us in at #8.

The rest of the Top 10 includes Disney’s Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley (#3) and New Line’s Hairspray (#4), giving soundtracks three of the top four positions on the chart.

Other holdovers include UTV/UMe’s Now 25 (#5), A&M/Interscope’s still-smoldering Fergie (#6), Roadrunner’s resilient Nickelback (#9) and Hollywood’s Jonas Brothers (#10), giving Bob Cavallo’s surging Disney Music Group three in the Top 10.

Also debuting on the charts this week: Epic’s Cartel (#16), Universal South’s Joe Nichols (#18), Category 5’s Travis Tritt (#25), Interscope Sri Lanka hip-hop phenom M.I.A. (#28), WB's L.A. country-rock breakouts Rilo Kiley (#37), Matador's Canadian alternarockers New Pornographers (#43) and indie stalwart Victory’s Aiden (#50).

Nickelback is the only group with upward movement, +8% over last week.

Hitting stores today are Bad Boy/Atlantic’s Yung Joc, Hollywood’s Atreyu, Lava/Atlantic’s Uncle Kracker and Lost Highway’s Lyle Lovett.