Ex-Destiny's Child member No. 1 on US charts

NEW YORK - Six years after a messy departure from Destiny's Child, LeToya Luckett took the No. 1 slot on the US pop album charts with her self-titled debut Wednesday.

The multi-artist compilation "NOW 22" slipped to No. 2 after two weeks at No. 1. Producer Pharrell Williams' "In My Mind" opened at No. 3, while Tom Petty's third solo album "Highway Companion" bowed at No. 4.

"LeToya" sold 165,000 copies in the week ended July 30, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In addition to opening at No. 1 on the flagship Billboard 200 chart, the Capitol Records set logged a second week atop the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, thanks to unauthorized sales before the official July 25 release date.

The first single "Torn" has already spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Luckett, an original member of Destiny's Child, co-wrote and sang on the group's hit singles "Bills Bills Bills" and "Say My Name," from their 1999 album "The Writing's On The Wall."

In December 1999, Luckett and fellow Destiny's Child member LaTavia Roberson tried to get out of their contract with band manager Mathew Knowles, the father of frontwoman Beyonce Knowles. After filing a legal petition, they exited the group under a confidential settlement.

Williams' "In My Mind" shifted 142,000 units last week, behind the 151,000 tally for "NOW 22." The set was originally due last fall and has been repeatedly pushed back while Williams reworked the material.

Petty's "Highway Companion," the 14th album of his career, sold 112,000 copies, his best opening sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. Its No. 4 ranking is the highest debut of his career; one other album has gone higher - his 1989 solo debut "Full Moon Fever" peaked at No. 3.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere" dropped one to No. 5 despite a slight sales increase to 54,000 units. Disney's "High School Musical" soundtrack slipped one to No. 6 with 47,000, while Rihanna's "A Girl Like Me" inched up 8-7 with 46,000. That album switches places with Nelly Furtado's former chart-topper "Loose," which shifted 45,000.

- REUTERS/Billboard