‘Puff Daddy’s’ Strong Solo

Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs’ first solo album, “No Way Out,” debuts at No. 1 on the national pop charts after selling a whopping 560,000 copies during its first week in the stores--the third-highest first-week sales of 1997, according to SoundScan. The two leaders are also rap collections: the Notorious B.I.G.’s posthumous “Life After Death,” (690,000 sales) and the Wu-Tang Clan’s “Wu-Tang Forever” (612,000). The “Men in Black” soundtrack fell to No. 2 this week, with sales of 180,000. The pop singles sales charts also were topped by Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment releases: Combs’ pairing with Faith Evans on “I’ll Be Missing You” and B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems.” It’s the ninth week at No. 1 for “Missing.”

What’s Hot

Here are some recent releases that are generating critical or commercial attention:

Puff Daddy & the Family’s “No Way Out” (Bad Boy). By finally stepping past the vainglorious gloss and letting us in on his deepest feelings and doubts, Bad Boy Entertainment’s CEO reveals his potential and power as an artist.

Prodigy’s “The Fat of the Land” (Maverick). “Fat,” which employs samples from such varied sources as Ultramagnetic M.C.’s and the Breeders, carries you along with the sonic rise and fall of a spectacular roller-coaster ride.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “The Art of War” (Ruthless/Relativity). Bone Thugs-N-Harmony helps draw a close to rap’s bicoastal war, joining the rapid-fire wordplay of the East Coast with the bass-heavy, deeply melodic funk sound of the West. Combining the forces, the Bones emerge as victorious rap generals.

Sarah McLachlan’s “Surfacing” (Arista). While McLachlan’s well-timed new album showcases her considerable strengths, it also suffers from a lack of compelling craftsmanship and textural daring.

“Men in Black--The Music” (Columbia). Will Smith does effective double-duty as an actor in the movie and as a rapper on the album, but it’s the fruitful pairing of the Roots and D’Angelo on one track, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Jermaine Dupri on another, as well as contributions from A Tribe Called Quest and Nas that cement the album’s appeal.

What’s New

In stores now: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “The Art of War” (Ruthless), Joe’s “All That I Am” (Jive), Lisa Stansfield’s “Lisa Stansfield” (Arista).

What’s Coming

Tuesday: 311’s “Transistor” (Capricorn/Mercury), the Psycho Realm’s “The Psycho Realm” (Ruffhouse/Columbia).

Aug. 26: Coolio’s “My Soul” (Tommy Boy), Oasis’ “Be Here Now” (Epic).