No Doubt or Not, ‘N Sync Remains ‘Attached’ to No. 1

No Doubt’s “Return to Saturn” rockets high onto the nation’s album charts thisweek, but ‘N Sync’s “No Strings Attached” still has the top spot tied up.

“Return to Saturn,” propelled by the radio hit “Ex-Girlfriend,” sold 202,000 copies during its first week in stores to kick-start the Southern California quartet’s follow-up effort to its mega-selling 1995 disc, “Tragic Kingdom.”

Gwen Stefani and company were no match, however, for the teen pop of ‘N Sync. “No Strings Attached,” with 422,000 copies sold on the week, remains on the torrid pace it established last month and already has surpassed 4 million copies in total sales.

It took the tandem of ‘N Sync and No Doubt to finally push Santana down the chart. “Supernatural,” thanks to a deep reserve of hit songs and its domination of the recent Grammys, has been either No. 1 or No. 2 since early January. This week, with 170,000 copies sold, it settles for the third slot on the tally, which is compiled by SoundScan, a service that tracks U.S. retail music sales.

The second-best debut of the week belonged to Da Brat’s “Unreserved.” The new disc from the Chicago rapper--who became the genre’s first solo female to score a platinum album with 1994’s “Funkdafied”--sold 143,000 copies on the week to debut at No. 5.

The top rap album from last week, the late Big Punisher’s “Yeeeah Baby!,” drops down to No. 8 this week after opening at No. 3. Another rapper, pioneering producer Dr. Dre, was one notch lower with his “Dr. Dre 2001” clinging to its spot in the Top 10.

While “Return to Saturn” was an eagerly awaited arrival in stores, there were few other big-name releases debuting on the week. After Da Brat, the top-charting debut was the “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai--The Album” at No. 84. That film-inspired collection is produced by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan.

On the singles chart, a familiar name claims the top spot as pop diva Toni Braxton surges to No. 1 with “He Wasn’t Man Enough.” The song catapults 55 spots from last week and forces Santana into another modest retreat as the group’s teaming with Wyclef Jean, “Maria Maria,” settles for No. 2.