Happy ‘Blue’ Year

LeAnn Rimes rings in the new year in style. Her major-label debut album, “Blue,” continues to top both The Times’ Southern California country sales chart and the national country chart, and on Tuesday the 14-year-old picked up two Grammy nominations. She’s up for best new artist and best female country vocal performance for “Blue,” which was written for Patsy Cline more than 30 years ago by Dallas deejay Bill Mack. Mack picked up nominations for best song and best country song. The album has topped the national country chart for 22 weeks.

TOP 10 ALBUMS *--*

Title, Artist (Nat’l Rank) Last Week 1 Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt (1) 1 2 Romeo & Juliet, soundtrack (2) 2 3 Secrets, Toni Braxton (7) 6 4 The Preacher’s Wife, soundtrack (4) 4 5 Evita, soundtrack (12) 3 6 Falling Into You, Celine Dion (3) 8 7 Razorblade Suitcase, Bush (6) 5 8 Tha Doggfather, Snoop Doggy Dogg (18) 7 9 Sublime, Sublime (34) 9 10 Bow Down, Westside Connection (40) 11

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TOP 10 SINGLES *--*

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton (2) 2 2 Nobody, Keith Sweat (4) 1 3 I Believe I Can Fly, R. Kelly (1) 5 4 Don’t Let Go (Love), En Vogue (3) 4 5 Nothin’ But the Cavi Hit, Mack 10 and Tha Dogg Pound (26) 3 6 I Believe in You..., Whitney Houston (5) 8 7 Never Leave Me Alone, Nate Dogg (31) 6 8 No Diggity, Blackstreet (6) 7 9 Cold Rock a Party, MC Lyte (11) 13 10 Pony, Ginuwine (24) 9

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TOP 10 COUNTRY ALBUMS *--*

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Blue, LeAnn Rimes (1) 1 2 Did I Shave My Legs..., Deana Carter (2) 5 3 Greatest Hits, Clint Black (4) 4 4 Everything I Love, Alan Jackson (3) 3 5 What If It’s You, Reba McEntire (5) 2 6 The Woman in Me, Shania Twain (6) 6 7 Borderline, Brooks & Dunn (7) 7 8 The Hits, Garth Brooks (12) 9 9 Measure of a Man, Kevin Sharp (11) -- 10 Ten Thousand Angels, M. McCready (8) 10

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Source: SoundScan, for week ending Jan. 5