NORAH! NORAH! NORAH!

The new year in the record business finally gets underway this week with Norah Jones’ chart-topping Blue Note album Not Too Late, which arrives just in time to bow at #1, with 418k in first-week sales, thanks to strong sales at nontraditional retailers like iTunes, Starbucks and Amazon.com.

And that isn’t the only good news for a much-beleaguered music biz, as Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee’s self-titled RCA debut lands at #2, with more than 113k in sales, beating back another show alum in labelmate Daughtry, holding strong at #3.

Manhattan’s Celtic Woman collection gives Blue Note boss Bruce Lundvall two of the Top 5, with A New Journey landing at #4 in its chart bow.

The rest of the Top 10 includes holdovers such as Sub Pop’s The Shins (#5) and last week’s #1, Atlantic’s Pretty Ricky (#6), along with SRC/Universal Motown’s Akon (#7), Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax’s Dreamgirls (#8), Star Trak/Interscope’s Robin Thicke (#9) and SBMG/Commercial Music Group’s Grammy Nominees 2007 (#10).

At #11, Hidden Beach/UMGD’s Jill Scott album leads the other group of chart newcomers, which also boasts Madonna’s live CD/DVD on Warner Bros. (#15), Capitol Brit newcomer Lily Allen (#19), SBMG/CMG’s Totally Country, Vol. 6 (#29), Verity’s Wow Gospel 2007 (#25), Atlantic’s Scottish crooner Paolo Nutini (#28) and indie Rocky Comfort country crooner Tracy Lawrence (#49).

Akon leads this week’s 20%+ gainers with a monstrous 59% rise, followed by Big Machine’s Taylor Swift (#50, 47%), Def Jam/IDJ’s Young Jeezy (#22, +39%), Geffen’s Mary J. Blige (#37, +38%), A&M/Interscope’s Fergie (#27, +35%), Star Trak/Interscope’s blue-eyed R&B star Thicke (#9, +33%), Universal Republic’s Hinder (#33, +31%), Reprise’s Josh Groban (#42, +24%), Capitol Nashville’s Keith Urban (#45, +24%), Cash Money/Universal Motown’s Birdman & Lil’ Wayne (#48, +23%) and Roadrunner’s Nickelback (#12, +20%).

This week, IDJ comes with the first big rock record of the year in Fall Out Boy’s Infinity on High, which perfectly describes what is certain to be a contender for #1 on next Tuesday’s chart.