Modest Mouse scored the first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 of its career this week as 'We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank' debuted on top. The Epic set moved 129,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, more than double the group`s previous best sales week. Modest Mouse`s last album, 2004`s 'Good News for People Who Love Bad News,' debuted at No. 19 with 68,000.

Joss Stone`s third album, 'Introducing Joss Stone' (Virgin), entered at No. 2, moving 118,000 units, also a career best for charting and sales. Stone`s last album, 2004`s 'Mind, Body & Soul' peaked at No. 11.

"American Idol" 2006 third-place finisher Elliott Yamin`s self-titled Hickory Records debut sold 90,000 copies to debut at No. 3. Yamin became the fifth finalist from last year`s edition of the show to reach The Billboard 200, joining Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler and this week`s No. 4 artist, Chris Daughtry. Daughtry`s self-titled RCA album held tight in that position for a second week, selling 76,000 copies with a modest 4 percent drop in sales.

R&B singer Marques Houston`s Universal Motown set 'Veteran' debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 69,000 units. Houston`s last album, 2005`s 'Naked,' debuted at No. 13 on The Billboard 200 with 65,000.

Akon`s 'Konvicted' (SRC/Universal) fell from No. 5 to No. 6 after selling about a hundred copies less than 'Veteran' at 69,000 (-4 percent), while Lloyd`s 'Street Love' (The Inc.) descended 2-7 with 55,000 (-62 percent). After bowing at the summit last week, Musiq Soulchild`s 'Luvanmusiq' (Atlantic) plunged to No. 8 with a 64 percent sales hit at 54,000.

Rich Boy`s self-titled Zone 4/Interscope debut slipped 3-9 with 49,000, a sales change of -56 percent. In its second week on the chart, Amy Winehouse`s 'Back to Black' (Universal) fell 7-10 with 48,000 and a 6 percent sales dip.

Several more albums bowed this week in the top 50 on The Billboard 200, including Insane Clown Posse`s Psychopathic set 'The Tempest' at No. 20 (33,000), the group`s eleventh album to enter the chart. Baby Boy Da Prince made his Billboard 200 debut with sophomore set 'Across the Water' (Universal Republic) at No. 26 with 26,000. Rapper Devin the Dude`s 'Waitin` to Inhale' (Rap-A-Lot) entered at No. 30 (25,000), which beat the No. 55 peak of his 2004 effort 'To Tha X-Treme.'

With only a couple dozen sales fewer than 'Waitin` to Inhale,' Crime Mob`s 'Hated on Mostly' (Reprise) slipped in at No. 31. Stephen Marley`s first solo album, 'Mind Control' (Universal), bowed at No. 35 with 20,000, while LCD Soundsystem`s sophomore Capitol/DFA effort, 'Sound of Silver,' earned the James Murphy-led group its first Billboard 200 chart ink at No. 46.

Album sales were up 2.6 percent from last week`s total at 8.5 million units and down 18.2 percent compared to the same week last year. Overall album sales for the year were down 17 percent from last year at 108 million units.

Taken from M&C