Sting Hits Top 10 After 45 Weeks

Maybe those Jaguar commercials featuring Sting are selling more albums than cars.

After 45 weeks in stores, Sting’s “Brand New Day” cracked the Top 10 of the nation’s album chart for the first time, selling 76,000 copies last week. The disc, which sank as low as No. 91 in January, has now sold more than 2 million total copies and has steadily climbed in recent weeks.

The album’s big hit, “Desert Rose,” a haunting track featuring Algerian singer Cheb Mami, also provides the backdrop to Sting’s television commercial for Jaguar luxury cars. The veteran singer will play Friday and Saturday at the Greek Theatre and Aug. 18 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine.

This week’s Top 5 remains unchanged from the previous tally. The top spot belongs to “Now That’s What I Call Music Vol. 4,” a survey of recent hits by artists such as the Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Lopez and Train. The Top 5 is rounded out by albums from Britney Spears, Nelly, Eminem and ‘N Sync.

Debuts this week include the late rapper Big L’s “The Big Picture” at No. 13, country singer Jo Dee Messina’s “Burn” at No. 19 and the “Coyote Ugly” soundtrack at No. 61.