Wait a Minute: Chrisette Michele Outsold Ciara?

Chrisette Michele's weepy, fiery, only occasionally baby-shaking Epiphany debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, a huge coup for the vaguely retro-minded r&b belter. Her legacy, alas: At 83,000 sold, it's the weakest #1 record in Nielsen SoundScan's nearly two-decade history. She just won the last game of bingo aboard the Titanic, in other words.

Another pressing issue, though: How the hell did she beat Ciara? Her Fantasy Ride, to my mind a far more hyped affair from someone with two platinum records already to her credit, wound up a mere #3. (In between, Hannah Montana.) This despite rapturous praise from trusted experts and placement on the best Saturday Night Live episode in forever. It's that terrible song with Young Jeezy, isn't it? Yeah, that makes sense.

(Have fun being vaporized by Green Day next week, everybody.)

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