KELLY DOESN’T SUCK

American Idol champ Kelly Clarkson’s new RCA/RMG album gave her all she ever wanted with a #1 debut and 254k in first-week sales, thanks in large part to her hit single, “My Life Would Suck Without You.”

Def Jam’s The-Dream is up next, nabbing a #2 bow and 148k in sales for his Love vs. Money album, fueled by a pair of hit singles in “My Love,” a duet with Mariah Carey and “Rockin’ That Thang.”

Last week’s chart-topper, U2’s Interscope album, No Line on the Horizon, dipped to 125k, good for #3, giving the Top 10 a trio of six-figure sales albums for the first time this year.

Capitol R&B star J. Holiday’s sophomore effort, Round 2, debuts at #4, while Big Machine country teen phenom Taylor Swift’s Fearless rounds out the Top 5.

Interscope’s newest dance diva Lady GaGa (#6, +7%), Roadrunner’s Nickelback (#7), Columbia’s Beyonce (#8), Epitaph’s debuting emo rockers (the label’s second Top 10 entry in two weeks) New Found Glory (#9) and J/RMG’s long-running Jamie Foxx (#10) complete the Top 10.

Mosley Music Group/Interscope rocker Chris Cornell’s Timbaland-produced Scream for the Grammy-nominated producer’s label leads the rest of the chart newcomers at #11, followed by Fearless Records’ Punk Goes Pop Vol. 2 (#14) and Interscope alternative mainstays Yeah Yeah Yeahs (#34). Arista Nashville’s Carrie Underwood re-enters the chart at #41.

Among those showing week-to-week sales upticks are Universal Republic’s India.Arie (#26-23, +13%), Chop Shop/Atlantic’s Twilight soundtrack (#16, +11%), Atlantic’s Zac Brown Band (#28, +8%), WB’s Watchmen soundtrack (#29, +8%) and Capitol Nashville’s Darius Rucker (#26, +7%).

Hitting next week are Atlantic’s Gorilla Zoe and a deluxe edition of the Twilight soundtrack.