Major pop albums square off Tuesday

Tuesday is the traditional day of the week when the music industry puts new albums on sale and, because those releases are planned months in advance, it caught the eye of the industry late last year that this Tuesday falls on Sept. 11. The last time that date came on a Tuesday was in 2001. There are far more important conversations presented by the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and the Washington, D.C., area than new album releases, but it’s interesting to note that instead of dodging the date, major labels have made Sept. 11, 2007, a red-letter day.

Three key 2007 releases will all arrive in stores Tuesday: “Graduation” by Kanye West, “Curtis” by 50 Cent and “Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates” from Kenny Chesney, prompting some industry insiders and retailers to dub the day “Super Tuesday.”

That kind of hype is music to the ears of 50 Cent. The feisty rapper made the crafty move of challenging West to a sales showdown; 50 Cent said he would retire as a solo recording artist if West sold more albums in the first seven days in stores. Of course, even though West is an acclaimed hip-hop auteur and Grammy winner, he has never come close to matching the numbers 50 Cent has posted in past opening weeks. Still, the mission was accomplished: The pair are mad-dogging each other on the cover of the new Rolling Stone and, according to a poll conducted by SOHH.com, a leading hip-hop website, fans are pretty evenly split about who they believe will win the showdown. And 42% replied that, due to the controversy, they are excited about buying either release.

But what if Chesney outsells either rapper? The Tennessean is the reigning winner of the entertainer of the year award from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Assn. and is the most bankable touring act in country right now. The new collection has been described by Chesney as having an unplanned evocative side that will “open my heart and soul up to everybody.” The first track on the CD, “Never Wanted Nothing More,” featuring Vince Gill, has already hit No. 1 on the country singles chart.

-- Geoff Boucher