Mariah Carey News

Mariah Carey's comeback album, The Emancipation of Mimi, debuted at number one with sales of 404,000, ending the six-week reign of 50 Cent's The Massacre, which fell to number three with 140,000 copies, per Nielsen SoundScan figures released Wednesday.

This marks the best first-week sales ever for Carey, topping her previous best of 323,000 for 1999's Rainbow. This also marks Carey's first number bow since 1997's Butterfly, which sold 235,000 in its first week.

The Emancipation of Mimi is Carey's second album for Island Def Jam, which signed the artist after her Virgin Records debut, Glitter, crashed and burned. Virgin quickly bought out her four-album contract. That came just months after Carey melted down and wound up in a psychiatric hospital for "an emotional and physical breakdown."

"Mimi is a labor of love, and to witness this album's overwhelming acceptance in its first week out is truly inspirational," says Island Def Jam boss Antonio "L.A." Reid.

The album also debuted at number one in Japan, two in Canada, four in France and at seven in the U.K.

Carey wasn't the only one score a personal record. Mudvayne also set a new high mark with Lost and Found, which opened at number two with a career-best 152,000 copies sold for the week ended Sunday. The disc benefits from the metal mavens' first-ever number one rock radio hit, "Happy?" The band will tour this summer as a main stage act on Ozzfest.

Garbage wrapped up the big debuts at a career-best number four with Bleed Like Me. The alt-rockers' first album in four years, the new disc sold nearly 75,000 copies for the week. The lead single, "Why Do You Love Me," is in the Top 10 on the Modern Rock chart.

Although 50 Cent lost his chokehold on the top spot, he can console himself with the fact that Massacre's six-week run at number one is the longest streak of 2005 and a feat not accomplished since Usher's Confessions last spring.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Faith Evans' The First Lady at five, Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 18 at six, Beck's Guero at seven, Green Day's American Idiot at eight, Gwen Stefani's Love, Angel, Music, Baby at nine and the Killers' Hot Fuss at 10.

Despite three new discs in the Top 5, the rest of the Billboard 200 was relatively unchanged. The only other noteworthy debuts were the Passion Worship Band's Passion: How Great Is Our God at 74, Mindless Self Indulgence's You'll Rebel To Anything at 107 and American Hi-Fi's Hearts on Parade at 129.

Here's a recap of the Top 10 albums:

1. The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey
2. Lost and Found, Mudvayne
3. The Massacre, 50 Cent
4. Bleed Like Me, Garbage
5. The First Lady, Faith Evans
6. Now That's What I Call Music! 18, various
7. Guero, Beck
8. American Idiot, Green Day
9. Love, Angel, Music, Baby, Gwen Stefani
10. Hot Fuss, The Killers