‘Sleep’ helps sales to awake

After a slow January in which few new releases made an impact on the U.S. pop chart, four artists arrive in the Top 10 this week, led by singer-songwriters Jack Johnson and Sheryl Crow.

Johnson’s “Sleep Through the Static” bows at No. 1 after selling 375,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, giving the artist his second consecutive No. 1 album. More than a third of those sales, or 139,000 copies, were digital downloads, according to Billboard, besting the previous one-week high for digital sales of 133,000 set last fall by Kanye West’s “Graduation.” Johnson, who will headline the opening night of Coachella 2008 on April 25, last topped the chart in 2006 with the soundtrack to “Curious George.”

A distant second is the latest from Crow. Her “Detours” sold 92,000 copies last week. While her 2005 effort “Wildflower” also began at No. 2, it debuted with a much higher 140,000 copies sold.

Rocker Lenny Kravitz enters at No. 4 with his “It Is Time for a Love Revolution,” which sold 73,000 copies.

At No. 8, k.d. lang scores her highest-charting album with “Watershed,” which sold 41,000 copies. The soundtrack to “Step Up 2” lands at No. 13 with 31,000 copies, and Kenny G’s latest, “Rhythm & Romance,” bows at No. 14 with slightly less.

All the newcomers push Alicia Keys’ “As I Am” to No. 3. Despite the slide, “As I Am” still enjoys a 31% sales bump to 80,000 copies. Expect that to continue for Keys, who will likely be among the artists benefiting from appearances at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

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todd.martens@latimes.com