Oh My, Aiken Feat

Six months ago, if you’d told us Clay Aiken would debut with over a half million in album sales, we’d have told you that was Ludacris. But the rapper’s ”Chicken” franchise had to settle for second place, as everyone’s favorite ”American Idol” runner-up found 613,000 fans achin’ to measure his ”Man”-ly freshman effort. Jagged Edge had a ”Hard” landing in third with 178,000. Shy Barbra Streisand went on ”Oprah” to beat the drums for her ”Movie Album,” and the effort paid off with 162,000 in sales for her popcorn-and-butter compendium.

POP ALBUMS

LAST WEEKS WEEK ON CHART

1 — CLAY AIKEN Measure of a Man, 19/RCA 1 2 1 LUDACRIS Chicken-N-Beer, Def Jam South 2 3 — JAGGED EDGE Hard, Columbia 1 4 2 OUTKAST Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Arista 4 5 — BARBRA STREISAND The Movie Album, Columbia 1 6 4 DIDO Life for Rent, Arista 3 7 3 ELVIS PRESLEY 2nd to None, RCA 2 8 6 STING Sacred Love, A&M/Interscope 3 9 9 HILARY DUFF Metamorphosis, Buena Vista 8 10 5 DAVE MATTHEWS Some Devil, RCA 4 11 8 R. KELLY The R in R&B Collection Volume 1, Jive 4 12 10 NICKELBACK The Long Road, Roadrunner/Island Def Jam 4 13 12 JOHN MAYER Heavier Things, Aware/Columbia 6 14 11 LIMPBIZKIT Results May Vary, Flip/Interscope 4 15 18 CHINGY Jackpot, Disturbing Tha Peace/Capitol 14

(c) 2003 VNU BUSINESS MEDIA, INC./NIELSEN SOUNDSCAN. USED WITH PERMISSION FROM BILLBOARD, OCT. 24, 2003.

IN STORES NOVEMBER 4

SARAH McLACHLAN Afterglow (Arista) The Divine Ms. M’s first studio disc in six years offers few surprises — just more of the sensitive stuff her fans love.

WYCLEF JEAN The Preacher’s Son (J) On his fourth solo CD, the ex-Fugee preaches the gospel of eclecticism, collaborating with Missy Elliott, Patti LaBelle, and Carlos Santana.

RYAN ADAMS Love Is Hell Vol. 1 and Rock N Roll (Lost Highway) Not one, but two new albums from everyone’s favorite prolific, neoclassic guitar boy.

IGGY POP Skull Ring (Virgin) In which the Ig returns to his roots and reteams with members of the Stooges, on four tracks. Elsewhere, he makes a mockery of his roots by teaming with current members of Sum 41 and Green Day.

IF YOU LIKE…

The Brit-pop balladry of Coldplay and Starsailor, try going SOUTH via the band’s lush debut, With the Tides.

Jagged beat treatments a la EL-P and don’t mind the ferocious Frenchman rapping, get into producer GHISLAIN POIRIER’s Beats as Politics.

Your CARDIGANS-style, girl-fronted guitar rock with a touch of PORTISHEAD pathos, delight in DENALI’s dark second effort, The Instinct.

Delicate baby divas like AALIYAH and BRANDY, brave My Soul, the debut from Danish beauty MARIA.