Ashanti Remains Atop the Chart

Ashanti, the 21-year-old R&B; singer from New York, tops the national album sales chart for the third consecutive week, this time fighting off a strong challenge from Sheryl Crow.

Crow’s first album in four years, “C’mon, C’Mon,” sold nearly 185,000 copies in its first week in stores, which fell about 5,000 copies short of matching Ashanti’s total last week. The latter’s self-titled album has sold 941,000 copies in three weeks.

Meanwhile, Josh Groban’s self-titled album continues its dramatic climb on the chart. Groban is a 20-year-old Los Angeles singer who sings in a polished pop style more common in the pre-rock era than in today’s market, which is dominated by rock and hip-hop.

Thanks to a series of high-profile TV appearances by Groban, the album entered the charts in late December and climbed to No. 41 before starting a descent that took it to No. 121 two weeks ago. After Groban was profiled on the television program “20/20” on April 12, the album soared to No. 12, and it jumped again to No. 8 this week.

Some other high-profile albums, meanwhile, are taking sharp drops on the chart. The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Gutterflowers” drops from No. 4 to No. 11 in its second week in stores. Neil Young’s “Are You Passionate?” falls from No. 10 to No. 33 in its second week.

Joining Ashanti, Crow and Groban in the Top 10 are, in order, Celine Dion, Vol. 9 of the “Now That’s What I Call Music” compilation, “The Scorpion King” soundtrack, Tweet, the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack, Pink and Shakira.

The bestselling single remains ‘N Sync’s pairing with Nelly on “Girlfriend.”

Sound Advice

(From The Times’ album reviews)

Badly Drawn Boy’s “Just a Boy,” ARTIST/direct Records/XL Recordings. This soundtrack for the film “Just a Boy” recaptures the understated charm and gentle insights of this British singer-songwriter’s much acclaimed debut album--and then some.

Elvis Costello’s “When I Was Cruel,” Island/Def Jam. Costello gets back to basics with a collection whose highlights are a proper throwback to the songwriter’s late-’70s literate punk-new wave roots.

Cee-Lo’s “Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections,” Arista. In the album, Cee-Lo reaches out to rap fans, funk followers and rock aficionados in consecutive cuts, showing the hip-hop star’s striking artistic range.

Cabas’ “Cabas,” EMI Latin. The newest rage in his native Colombia, Cabas is edgier than Carlos Vives, more folkloric than Juanes and more socially insightful than Shakira. The album carries you along like a jungle river, startling at one turn, enchanting at the next.