Tony Bennett scores first No. 1 album

Tony Bennett, in his 61st year as a recording artist, proves his timelessness this week as his "Duets II" becomes the pop vocalist's first No. 1 album. The 85-year-old singer's all-star Columbia set bows at the top of the U.S. album chart with 179,000 copies shifted, according to Nielsen SoundScan data for the week ending Sept. 25. Sales were undoubtedly heated by widespread airing of Bennett's "Body and Soul" video with Amy Winehouse, in what proved to be the late British singer's last recorded performance. Bennett's previous personal best was "Duets: An American Classic," which debuted at No. 3 in 2006 with a 202,000-unit week. In his '60s heyday, Bennett peaked with his "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" album, which hit No. 5 in 1962. Historically, "Duets II" out-positions a couple of other celebrity sing-offs -- Frank Sinatra's 1993 "Duets," which topped out at No. 2, and its No. 9 successor of 1994. Only similar recent project to reach the top slot was Ray Charles' posthumous "Genius Loves Company" (2004), which debuted at No. 2 and finally reached No. 1 in March 2005 after its multiple-Grammy triumph. Week's other top five debut is Demi Lovato's "Unbroken" (Hollywood). Teen Disney star's third set launches at No. 4, just missing the six-figure mark with 96,000. Her last album "Here We Go Again" debuted at No. 1 two years ago. After just a one-week reign, country threesome Lady Antebellum's "Own the Night" (Capitol Nashville) falls to No. 2 with 125,000 sold in a 64% decline. Adele's still-puissant "21" (Columbia) dips one position to No. 3, losing just 2% and selling 117,000. Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter IV" (Cash Money) drops two posts to No. 5 with sales of 84,000 (off 28%). Four other acts make comparatively mild top 10 debuts this week. Needtobreathe's "The Reckoning" (Atlantic) moves in at No. 6 with 49,000 sold out of the box. Christian rock band, which has moved no higher than No. 20 on the chart in three previous tries, has been opening for Taylor Swift. Young R&B boy band Mindless Behavior makes its first album chart appearance with "#1 Girl" (Interscope). L.A. act's debut set reaches No. 7 with a 36,000-unit stanza. Soulful vocalist Gavin DeGraw's "Sweeter" (RCA) takes the No. 8 slot with a 34,000-unit opening. Singer received the sort of pre-release publicity no one wants in August, when he was assaulted in NY's East Village. Pearl Jam's "Twenty" (Columbia), the soundtrack for Cameron Crowe's documentary about the Seattle band, arrives at No. 10 with 27,000. It slips into the top 10 just behind Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Watch the Throne," holding its No. 9 position with 31,000 (down 14%). Headed for the chart next week are fresh albums by J Cole, Blink-182, Wilco and Switchfoot. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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