Alicia Keys tops Rod Stewart on the Billboard 200 chart

Alicia Keys

Credit: AP Photo

Alicia Keys is one fire once again, as her latest album  "Girl On Fire" debuts at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

It's the singers fifth No. 1 album, selling some 159,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. 

Taylor Swift's "Red" holds on to the second spot, selling another 137,000 albums.

Ushering in the holiday season, Rod Stewart's "Merry Christmas, Baby" sold 117,000 (down less than 1%), moving it up from No. 6 to No. 3.

One Direction's "Take Me Home" moves down one spot, landing at No. 4  with 92,000 sold. "American Idol" vet Phillip Phillips' "The World From the Side of the Moon" also slides down one spot to No. 5, after selling 74,000.

After topping the chart in its debut last week, Rihanna's "Unapologetic" tumbles to No. 6 with 72,000 sold (a 70% drop). 

Other titles were boosted by holiday sales. Michael Buble's 2011 set "Christmas" climbs a stellar 9 spots, from No. 16 to No. 7 with 66,000 sold (up 24%), while Lady Antebellum's "On This Winter's Night" moves from No. 19 to No. 8. Likewise, Blake Shelton's "Cheers, It's Christmas" also received a 9-spot bump, journeying from No. 18 all the way to No. 9, after selling 53,000.

In its second week, Kid Rock's "Rebel Soul" rounds out the top ten after selling 46,000 (down 68%). 

At 7.52 million units, Overall album sales are down 23% from last week, and down 7% compared with this point last year.

Dave Lewis
Producer

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Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.