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Coldplay, Brantley Gilbert keep Mariah Carey from No. 1

Mariah Carey performs during the World Music Awards in Monaco last month.
Mariah Carey performs during the World Music Awards in Monaco last month.
(Valery Hache / AFP/Getty Images)
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Coldplay’s “Ghost Stories” is still No. 1.

The latest release from the British rock group logged a second week at the top of the Billboard 200 chart after moving an additional 83,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s their fourth consecutive No. 1 album in the United States.

Country singer Brantley Gilbert again came in behind Chris Martin and company with “Just As I Am,” selling an additional 65,000 copies.

Coldplay and Gilbert’s chart tallies are considerably lower in their second week (both suffered more than 60% drops in sales), slides that could be considered typical in the current climate of music sales.

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Still, their totals were enough to keep Mariah Carey from debuting at the top. Carey’s “Me. I am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse,” opened at No. 3.

The good news for Carey? The album is her 17th to debut in the Top 10.

The bad news? Having sold 58,000 in its first week, “Me. I am Mariah...” marks her lowest opening for a non-holiday record since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991, as Billboard pointed out in its analysis of the charts.

Carey’s last traditional album, 2009’s “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” also entered the charts at No. 3, but after it sold 168,000 copies.

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The rollout for Carey’s new album has been hampered by numerous stalled singles and delays.

In 2012 she teased the project with an uplifting anthem, “Triumphant (Get ‘Em).” But the single, which featured more of guests Rick Ross and Meek Mill than the chanteuse, barely made a splash with critics or fans.

A hosting turn on “American Idol” in 2013 -- a rivalry with one-time collaborator Nicki Minaj dominated headlines during their season together -- offered a sturdy platform to boost her Miguel-assisted single, “Beautiful.” The song peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart.

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But two more singles, “The Art of Letting Go” and “You’re Mine (Eternal),” failed to generate much buzz for the album -- a rarity for one of the best-selling pop divas.

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