‘Eminem Show’ Returns to the Top Spot

Eminem’s “The Eminem Show” has regained the top spot on the nation’s album sales chart, but its stay is likely to be short. The Dixie Chicks’ first album in three years, “Home,” was released Tuesday, and retailers expect it to enter at No. 1 next week.

Like “Long Time Gone,” the bestselling single from the album, “Home” is a refreshing work that showcases the female trio’s traditional county roots rather than attempting to polish its sound in hopes of greater crossover sales, a la Shania Twain and Faith Hill.

Written by Darrell Scott, “Long Time Gone” even takes a slap at the soulless nature of so much country radio fare these days:

They sound tired, but they don’t sound Haggard

They’ve got money, but they don’t have Cash

They have Junior, but they don’t have Hank.

The Chicks’ last album, “Wide Open Spaces,” sold 7.4 million copies in the U.S., and early projections suggest that “Home” could top 700,000 in its first week.

If it does even better, it could end up with the second-highest debut week of the year. Eminem’s album sold 1.3 million in its first full week in the stores, in May, while Nelly’s “Nellyville” opened with 714,000 sales during its first week, in June.

Eminem’s album sold 172,000 more copies last week to regain the No. 1 spot and bring the album’s total to 5.2 million. Nelly’s album finished second by selling 162,000 copies, bringing its total to 2.9 million.

The highest-ranking new arrival was rap duo Clipse’s “Lord Willin’,” which finished No. 4, selling 122,000 copies in its first week.

The other spots in the Top 10 are held, in order, by Avril Lavigne, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, volume 10 of “Now That’s What I Call Music,” Linkin Park, Toby Keith and Norah Jones.

Three artists’ new releases cracked the Top 20: Angie Martinez at No. 11, Lee Ann Womack at No. 16 and Beenie Man at No. 18. Mana’s new album finished at No. 22, followed by a new Diamond Rio collection at No. 23.

Several albums in the Top 40 have just passed the 1 million sales plateau or are about to. They are Springsteen’s “The Rising” (1.05 million), Jones’ “Come Away With Me” (966,000), John Mayer’s “Room for Squares” (1.1 million) and Korn’s “Untouchable” (965,000).

On the singles sales chart, the Dixie Chicks’ record is followed by a remix version of Elvis Presley’s 1968 record “A Little Less Conversation” and Wyclef Jean’s “Two Wrongs.”