JUVENILE’S REALITY
CHECK’S IN AT #1

The album includes the single, “What’s Happening,” a bitter indictment of the government’s relief efforts in his hometown after Hurricane Katrina. Juvenile signed with Atlantic after a dispute with his previous label, Cash Money.

He is one of four debuts slated to hit next week’s Top 50, including Or Music/Epic’s Matisyahu, Columbia’s Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Koch Records’ Scarface.

The big news this week, though, is Custard/Atlantic’s James Blunt, who proves singing “You’re Beautiful” to the millions of housewives who watch Oprah everyday is good business, as his sales total swells to 135-145k, good enough for #2.

Walt Disney Records’ High School Musical remains a cottage industry for the House of Mouse, remaining steady at 125-130k, placing it in a strong #3.

Hasidic rapper Matisyahu’s debut studio album, Youth, continues the momentum of the gold Live at Stubb’s collection, parlaying #1 iTunes album downloads into an impressive 100-110k estimated total for the week and #4 on the chart.

Last week’s chart-topper, Def Jam/IDJ’s Ne-Yo, drops to a still-potent 100-110k for #5, while Floyd guitarist Gilmour’s solo On an Island nabs an impressive 90-95k, good enough for #6.

Holdovers Arista/RMG’s Carrie Underwood (80-85k), Island/UME’s Johnny Cash compilation (65-70k) and Geffen’s Mary J. Blige (60-65k) remain ensconced, while former Geto Boy Scarface’s 50-55k would seem good enough to nab him a Top 10 debut for his Koch Records effort, My Homies.

Expect chart debuts from Lost Highway's Van Morrison, with a country album, Pay the Devil (30-45k) and EMI's Little Willies, a Norah Jones-led side project looking at between 25-30k.