ADELE’S 21 IN TIME, SAVES NINE

This is getting monotonous. For the ninth week since it came out at the end of February, XL/Columbia U.K. diva Adele’s 21 grabs the #1 slot on the HITS Top 50 Album Sales chart. With 136k in the till, the album has sped past 1.8 million U.S. and is on the way to 2 million.

Of course, next Tuesday, Adele will give up her chart-topping spot to Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, but how long will it be before she returns at #1? That’s the question on everyone’s lips.

Wind-up South African post-grunge rockers Seether’s Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray is the top debut at #2, with 57k, while Capitol/EMI’s Now 38 (#3), Broken Bow’s Jason Aldean (#4) and Glassnote’s persistent Mumford & Sons (#5) rounding out the Top 5.

Epic America’s Got Talent winner Michael Grimm (#8) and Geffen Italian teen tenors Il Volo (#9) are the two other Top 10 debuts, with Universal Republic’s Lonely Island (#6), Capitol/EMI’s Beastie Boys (#7) and Island/IDJ’s Jennifer Lopez (#10) completing the leaders.

Other chart newcomers include Capitol/EMI’s Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi Rome album, (#12), Mercury’s Parachute (#18), Virgin/EMI’s Ben Harper (#21), Capitol/EMI’s Tinie Tempah (#27), Ghostlight’s Book of Mormon Original Broadway Cast (#28), Warner Bros.’ New Boyz (#38) and Bomber’s Dispatch EP (#39).

Universal Republic Nashville’s The Band Perry re-enters the Top 50 at #41.

Lady Gaga’s debut Interscope album Fame takes advantage of the marketing/ promotional push for Born This Way is the week’s biggest double-digit gainer, moving #42-33, +11%, followed by Big Machine’s Rascal Flatts (#48-45, +7%).

In addition to Gaga, this week’s releases include Arista Nashville’s Brad Paisley, Legacy’s NKOTBSB and Star Time Intl/Columbia’s Foster the People.