POP ALBUM CHART : Jazz Is Just Fine for Baker

Anita Baker continues to defy doomsday predictions with her very jazzy “Compositions” album. Some said her pop fans wouldn’t like its jazz orientation, which would cut down on pop sales. But so far, the album has been selling very well. It moved up a notch to No. 5 on the Billboard magazine chart, without the aid of a hit pop single. 2 Live Crew’s controversial rap album, “Banned in the U.S.A,” is big in the U.S.A.--bolting up to No. 21 in just three weeks. Hot new metal albums: Winger’s “In the Heart of the Young” (No. 15) and Vixen’s “Rev It up” (No. 54). Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” is the No. 1 pop single for the fourth straight week.

* Jon Bon Jovi entered the Billboard pop album chart in a blaze of glory, with “Blaze of Glory”--the “Young Guns II” soundtrack--opening up at No. 32.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1. “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” 1 1 25 M.C. Hammer (Capitol) 2. “Wilson Phillips” 3 2 20 Wilson Phillips (SBK) 3. “Flesh and Blood” 2 3 5 Poison (Enigma) 4. “Mariah Carey” 4 6 9 Mariah Carey (Columbia) 5. “Compositions” 6 9 6 Anita Baker (Elektra) * “Blaze of Glory”/”Young Guns II” ... ... 1 Jon Bon Jovi (PolyGram)