Van Halen accomplishes what many other acts have not: the veteran rock band likely pushes Adele”s “21” out of the top spot on the Billboard 200 next week with “A Different Kind of Truth,” the group”s first album with David Lee Roth since “1984” 28 years ago.
Although the chart accounting doesn”t close until Sunday, “Truth” looks like it will sell between 180,000-195,000 copies, according to Hits Daily Double, which may be just enough to head off a pre-Grammy surge by “21,” which will sell between 175,000-190,000.
Either way, “21” is surrounded by a phalanx of debuts: Coming in at No. 3 will likely be “Now That”s What I Call Music 41,” with sales of 130,000-140,000. The Fray”s “Scars & Stories” is set to land at No. 4, followed by Paul McCartney”s “Kisses On The Bottom” at No. 5 and Dierks Bentley”s “Home” at No. 6.
The remaining titles in the Top 10 are holdovers: the 2012 Grammy Nominees compilation will likely fall from 4-7, LMFAO”s “Sorry For Party Rocking” continues its climb back up the charts (perhaps because of the duo”s appearance with Madonna on the Super Bowl half-time show) rising one to No. 8, Drake”s “Take Care” slips 6-9 and Lana Del Rey”s “Born To Die” lives to see another week in the Top 10, dropping 2-10.