Metallica Locks On to No. 1 : The band’s ‘Re-Load’ has the highest sales total over one week for a rock album this year.

Though it fell short of the phenomenal first-week numbers posted by the band’s last two studio efforts, Metallica’s “Re-Load” was far and away the nation’s top-selling album last week.

The collection sold about 435,000 copies--the highest one-week total for a rock album this year (about 85,000 more than U2’s “Pop”) and the fourth highest overall. But it didn’t come close to matching the opening-week totals of 680,000 copies for 1996’s “Load” or 598,000 for 1991’s “Metallica.”

Still, the strong showing by “Re-Load” overshadows an impressive opening week for Celine Dion’s “Let’s Talk About Love,” which sold nearly 334,000 copies to take the runner-up position ahead of Barbra Streisand’s “Higher Ground.” The Streisand album falls from No. 1 despite a rare 30% second-week sales jump.

Other Top 15 chart debuts include Erykah Badu’s “Live,” Hanson’s “Snowed In” and Led Zeppelin’s “BBC Sessions,” which check in at Nos. 4, 7 and 12, respectively.

Greatest-hits packages from Kenny G and John Mellencamp come in at Nos. 25 and 33.

Meanwhile, Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” was the nation’s top-selling single for the ninth week in a row. The record-setting charity project sold nearly 134,000 copies last week to pass the 7-million mark.

What’s Hot

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

Bob Dylan’s “Time Out of Mind” (Columbia). Rock’s master songwriter has come up with what is arguably his most artful and convincing collection since the ‘70s.

Celine Dion’s “Let’s Talk About Love” (550 Music/Epic). Dion’s voice is a technical marvel, but her delivery lacks the personality and

intuitive sense of drama that are a diva’s stock in trade.

Janet Jackson’s “The Velvet Rope” (Virgin). As a musician, Michael’s little sister has never seemed more confident or ambitious than she does here.

Led Zeppelin’s “Led Zeppelin: BBC Sessions” (Atlantic). Not only does this two-CD set capture the English band’s vibrant live energy at the peak of its career, but it also helps illustrate the quartet’s place in rock history.

Mase’s “Harlem World” (Bad Boy/Arista). With the exceptions of fellow rappers Erick Sermon and Too Short, no one with a flow as slow and nonchalant as Mase’s has succeeded so well in a genre where testosterone and icy menace rule.

Metallica’s “Re-Load” (Elektra). Less a sequel to last year’s “Load” than a virtual repudiation of it, the follow-up is strong enough to make you forgive the band its past concessions to mass tastes.

Shania Twain’s “Come On Over” (Mercury). Predictable songs of revelry and ecstasy dominate this follow-up to “The Woman in Me,” the best-selling album ever by a female country artist.

Spice Girls’ “Spiceworld” (Virgin). If you’re gonna conquer the world with your outrageous antics and messages of “girl power” and “positivity,” you ought to muster a bit more zest for your second album than the English quintet has done here.

Barbra Streisand’s “Higher Ground” (Columbia). The heart of this studio collection showcases the kind of higher aspirations that are all too rare in mainstream pop.

What’s New

Garth Brooks’ “Sevens” (Capitol Nashville), 2Pac’s “R U Still Down? (Remember Me)” (Amaru/Jive).

What’s Coming

Tuesday: Various Artists’ “Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute” (Columbia).