ZAC BROWN BAND BACKS IN

We promised you a battle to the finish line, and that’s what you got.

In the race for #1, Atlantic’s Zac Brown Band bests A&M/Octone’s Maroon 5 by a little more than 8k units.

Last year’s Grammy winners for Best New Artist score 155k for their latest, You Get What You Give, while Adam Levine and company’s third album, and first since 2007’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, debuts with 147k.

The week’s other top entry, Santana’s Arista/RMG album, Guitar Heaven: Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, bows at #4 with 66k.

Eminem’s Shady/Aftermath/Interscope album, Recovery, rounds out the Top 5, while also passing Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now as the year’s top-selling album, going over 2.6m.

Bracketed by Trey Songz’ Atlantic album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure (#6)—giving Craig Kallman and Julie Greenwald’s label two of the Top 6 with #1 Zac Brown Band—and Island/IDJ’s still-strong Justin Bieber (#10), the rest of the Top 10 features three newcomers. Hollywood’s Selena Gomez & the Scene (#7), Columbia’s John Legend and the Roots (#8) and Mercury Nashville’s Billy Currington (#9)—the second Top 10 debut for Luke Lewis’ label after Jamey Johnson—round out the leaders.

Other Top 50 newcomers include Capitol/EMI’s Michael Franti & Spearhead (#25), Reprise’s Serj Tankian (#30) and Show Dog’s Randy Houser (#38). Brushfire/Universal Republic’s Jack Johnson re-enters at #48.

Zac Brown Band’s previous album, Foundation, takes advantage of the foot traffic to move #40-21, +55%, one of only three albums in the Top 50 with upward mobility.

The other two are Glassnote’s Mumford & Sons, riding the #1 status of its Alternative Rock hit, “Little Lion Man” (#20-17, +8%), and Columbia’s Glee: The Music, Vol. 1 (#47-45, +8%).

Hitting retail this week are BNA’s Kenny Chesney, Asylum’s Gucci Mane, Cash Money/Universal Motown’s Lil Wayne with a 10-song digital-only collection, Reprise’s Eric Clapton, DGC’s Jimmy Eat World, Atlantic’s Phil Collins, Virgin/EMI’s K.T. Tunstall, Def Jam/IDJ’s Jeremih and Epitaph’s Bad Religion.