Selling Like Mad

In the R&B; vocal-group sweepstakes, Jodeci may turn out to be the most enduring act. Its second album, “Diary of a Mad Band,” is No. 6 on The Times’ Southern California pop album chart and No. 5 nationally. “Diary” seems destined to radically outsell the second albums of Jodeci’s prime competition--Boyz II Men and Color Me Badd. Salt-N-Pepa’s album is a strong Southern California seller all of a sudden, entering the chart at No. 13. “Whatta Man,” the second hit single from the female rap crew’s album, has really boosted album sales. The single premiered on the pop chart at No. 9, trailed by “Unity” (No. 10)--by another female rapper, Queen Latifah.

TOP 10 ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Music Box, Mariah Carey (1) 2 2 Doggystyle, Snoop Doggy Dogg (2) 1 3 Lethal Injection, Ice Cube (24) 4 4 Toni Braxton, Toni Braxton (10) 5 5 Vs., Pearl Jam (3) 3 6 Diary of a Mad Band, Jodeci (5) 10 7 So Far So Good, Bryan Adams (6) 11 8 MTV Unplugged, 10,000 Maniacs (13) 6 9 janet., Janet Jackson (7) 8 10 Siamese Dream, Smashing Pumpkins (18) 7

TOP 10 SINGLES

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 So Much in Love, All-4-Love (28) 7 2 All for Love, Adams/Stewart/Sting (1) 1 3 Power of Love, Celine Dion (2) 8 4 Getto Jam, Domino D.R.S. (3) 2 5 Hero, Mariah Carey (6) 3 6 All That She Wants, Ace of Base (5) 6 7 Breathe Again, Toni Braxton (8) 5 8 Gangsta Lean, DRS (7) 4 9 Whatta Man, Salt-N-Pepa (10) -- 10 Unity, Queen Latifah (17) 14

TOP 10 HARD ROCK ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Vs., Pearl Jam (1) 1 2 Siamese Dream, Smashing Pumpkins (3) 2 3 In Utero, Nirvana (4) 3 4 Core, Stone Temple Pilots (5) 4 5 Get a Grip, Aerosmith (2) 5 6 Blind Melon, Blind Melon (7) 6 7 Rage..., Rage Against the Machine (10) 9 8 B&B; Experience, Beavis & Butt-head (6) 7 9 Spaghetti Experience, Guns N’ Roses (8) 8 10 Undertow, Tool (14) 10

Source: SoundScan Inc., for week ending Jan. 16