Dion Returns to Chart at No. 1

It looks as if Celine Dion’s two-year break from the stage and recording studio has only made the hearts of her fans grow fonder.

The pop singer’s new album, “A New Day Has Come,” entered the national album chart at No. 1 on Wednesday with the highest first-week sales total of any collection so far this year.

SoundScan reported that Dion’s first album of new material since “Let’s Talk About Love” in 1997 sold 527,000 copies last week, edging the ninth volume of the “Now That’s What I Call Music” compilation series by 64,000 copies.

Three other albums also debuted in the top 10: “Forceable Entry,” featuring various rock acts, is No. 3; R&B; singer Avant’s “Ecstasy” is No. 6; and the soundtrack for “The Scorpion King” is No. 8.

“Forceable Entry” and “Scorpion” have ties to both rock ‘n’ roll and the World Wrestling Federation.

“Forceable Entry,” the latest entry in the WWF rock/wrestling hook-up, features tracks by such acts as Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. The “Scorpion” film stars wrestler the Rock, while the soundtrack features numbers by such acts as Godsmack, System of a Down and Coal Chamber.

The remaining positions in the top 10 were claimed by “The Best of Both Worlds,” a collaboration between Jay-Z and R. Kelly (No. 4), the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack (No. 5), Pink (No. 7), Linkin Park (No. 9) and Alan Jackson (No. 10).

The nation’s best-selling single remains ‘N Sync’s pairing with Nelly on “Girlfriend.”