Norah Jones easily tops Billboard 200

NEW YORK, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. singer Norah Jones slipped easily into No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 1.02 million copies of her "Feels Like Home" CD in its first week.

Jones scored the largest opening week in more than two years with her second Blue Note album, Billboard reported Wednesday.

Jones's first album, "Come Away With Me," also debuted at No. 1 and has sold more than 8 million copies in the United States since its 2002 release.

The sales total is the best debut week since 'N Sync's "Celebrity" sold 1.88 million in 2001.

Although a distant second to Jones, hip-hop artist Kanye West sold 440,000 copies of his long-awaited debut, "The College Dropout," to rank No. 2.

Last week's chart-topper, Kenny Chesney's "When the Sun Goes Down," dropped to No. 3, with 350,000 copies, giving the set a two-week total of 900,000 copies, and enough to hold the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart for a second week.

OutKast two-CD set "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" and Josh Groban's "Closer" rounded out the Top 5, at the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.