FLATTS ARE UNSTOPPABLE

The Lyric Street/Disney country-rock standard-bearers debut at #1 on the HITS’ Album Sales chart with the aptly named Unstoppable chalking up an impressive 355k, second-best total of the year to U2’s 480k.

The Disney soundtrack to Hannah Montana: The Movie took off after the movie topped the box office returns in its first week in theaters, moving back up to #2 and up a whopping 131% with 194k, giving Bob Cavallo’s Team Mouse the top two albums.

Def Jam/IDJ rapper Jadakiss’ The Last Kiss is the week’s other top newcomer, landing at #3, with 130k, followed by Broken Bow/RED country phenom Jason Aldean’s Wide Open, debuting at #4, with 108k.

Rounding out the first week of the year with five six-figure albums is UMe’s Now 30, up 17% with 100k at #5.

Big Machine Country darling Taylor Swift’s Fearless is one of several albums boosted by the nationally televised ACM awards last week, as well as by her own cameo in the Hannah Montana film, in at #6 and up 109% to 84k.

NPG superstar Prince’s $11.98 three-disc Target exclusive (#7), Capitol Nashville’s Keith Urban (#8), Atlantic’s still-strong Twilight soundtrack (#9) and Interscope dance diva Lady GaGa (#10) complete the leader board.

Other chart bows are registered by Reprise’s Neil Young (#18), INO/Columbia’s Mercy Me (#19), Lyric Street/Disney’s Billy Ray Cyrus (#38) and Disney’s Radio Disney Jams 11 (#39).

The CMA effect helps return winners like Mercury Nashville’s Sugarland (#22) and Jamey Johnson (#32) to the chart, while boosting the performance of Arista Nashville’s Carrie Underwood (#32-15, +99%), Taylor Swift’s Big Machine debut (#40-20, +90%), Atlantic’s Zac Brown Band (#29-25, +32%) and Capitol Nashville’s Darius Rucker (#36-33, +23%).

Other major jumps are recorded by LaFace’s Pink (#43-34, +31%), Roadrunner’s Nickelback (#16-14, +28%), Epic’s The Fray (#25-21, +27%), RCA/RMG’s Kelly Clarkson (#14-12, +23%), Jive/ZLG’s Britney Spears (#42-35, +22%) and Roadrunner’s Theory of a Deadman (#44-36, +21%).

Next week, look for new albums from Bad Boy/Atlantic P. Diddy discovery Day 26 and Dangerbird/ADA’s alt-rocking, Q Prime-managed L.A. critical darlings Silversun Pickups.