Jack Johnson tops Billboard 200 in week crowded with country artists

Jack Johnson is back.

The laid-back singer/songwriter picked up his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with his latest album “From Here to Now to You.”

With sales of 117,000 in its first week, “From Here” is Johnson’s third No. 1 studio album in a row, following in the footsteps of “To the Sea,” which debuted to sales of 243,000 in 2010, and 2008’s “Sleep Through the Static,” which moved 375,000 units in its first week of release.

Debuting in second place is country star Justin Moore, who sold 97,000 copies of his new album “Off the Beaten Path.” It’s his biggest debut to date, as his 2009 self-titled album entered the chart at No. 10 with 34,000 sold, and his 2011 follow-up “Outlaws Like Me” debuted at No. 5 with 65,000 sold.

Moore leads the charge of country stars storming up the chart this week, as no less than five of the top ten spots went to country performers.

Tennessee’s Chris Young came in at No. 3, selling 53,000 copies of “A.M.” in its first week. The singer’s “Neon” also cracked the top ten back in 2011 (No. 4, 73,000).

In fourth place, the hip-hop compilation “MMG: Self Made 3” — featuring Meek Mill, Wale and Rick Ross — sold 50,000 copies. The previous two “Self Made” albums also cracked the top five in 2011 and 2012.

Rounding out the top five is Avicii’s debut album “True,” selling 50,000. “True” sets the record opening for a debut album by a solo EDM act.

Country star Luke Bryan’s “Crash My Party” slid from 4 to 6 in its sixth week with 47,000 sold (down just 11%).

Rapper 2 Chainz’s “B.O.A.T.S. II #METIME” dropped four spots from No. 3-7 with 35,000, a 46% decrease.

Keith Urban’s “Fuse” topped last week’s chart, but descended down to No. 8 in its second week, after selling 31,000 (a 69% drop).

Meanwhile, The Weeknd’s “Kiss Land” slipped from last week’s No. 2 spot all the way to No. 9 with 26,000 sold.

Finally, Billy Currington, yet another country artist, finished at No. 10, with his latest effort “We Are Tonight” selling 26,000 copies. His 2010 “Enjoy Yourself” debuted at No. 9 with 45,000 sold.

This past week’s overall album sales (ending Sept. 22) added up to 4.543 million units, a 1% from last week (4.541 million) and down 16% from the same week last year (5.42 million). So far, 2013’s total album sales equal 200 million, a 6% drop from last year at this same point (212.7 million).