TIM’S TIME IS NOW

Get out your hats, folks. The cavalry has arrived. As Tim McGraw’s dad, Met relief pitcher Tug, once put it, “You gotta believe.”

The country star’s new Curb album, Let It Go, is ready to do just that, with first-day sales reports pointing to a total of 350k, give or take. That’s more than enough to make him next week’s #1, with what would be the year’s second-highest figure after Norah Jones’ 405k+ back in February.

In second place, Now 24, the latest edition of the perennial best-seller, this time from EMM, sports a surprisingly low total closer to 180-200k. Pundits are pondering whether the digital sales market is finally devouring Now's successful franchise as it rotates among the major labels. Either that or the N.Y. Times’ Jeff Leeds is right about the album being a dead format.

Other chart newcomers include G Unit/Interscope rapper Young Buck’s Buck the World looks headed for first-week sales of almost 150k, while Capitol rapper Mims rides his huge hit, “This Is Why I’m Hot” in steaming first-week sales of 75-85k.

Epic emo-punks Good Charlotte are in the 60k range, while labelmate Jennifer Lopez’s Spanish language album, Como Ama Un Mujer, or How to Love a Woman for you Anglos, is at 50k, with Puerto Rico yet to weigh in.

Asylum rapper Lil Flip looks headed for the 50k, which is about 5k above what Def Jam/IDJ’s critically acclaimed Redman album is expected to do.

Casablanca/Universal Republic’s Mika, another U.K. star seeking cross-oceanic success, will debut with around 30k, followed by Universal Motown’s Kaiser Chiefs, yet one more neo-British Invasion critical fave looking to make inroads with stateside rock fans.

Finally, Macy Grey’s debut for will.i.am/Geffen Records, Big, is headed for around 15k in first-week sales, which just might be enough to sneak into the Top 50. Maybe she needs to start wearing that dress from a few Grammy ago advertising her album is out.

Overall, things remain downbeat, with the market up between 2-3% vs. last week, down 18% vs same week last year and now down more than 16.5% year-to-date. Hey, you gotta believe.