- LOS ANGELES: R&B singer Beyonce has gone to No.
- 1 on the US pop album chart with her fourth consecutive release, although its sales were the lowest of her solo career.
Her new album "4" sold 310,000 copies during the week ended July 3, according to tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan — about the same amount as the next four albums combined. Her previous release, the double-disc "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," sold 482,000 copies during its first week of sale in November 2010, fueled by the hits "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." Her first solo outing away from Destiny's Child, "Dangerously in Love," started with 317,000 in 2003, while 2006's "B-Day" opened with 541,000. The new album has not yet had the benefit of a hit single, with "Run the World (Girls)" stalling at No. 29 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 singles chart. It is now at No. 84. Executives at her Sony Music label have been on the counter-attack in recent days after the album leaked on June 7 and fans took to the Web to give it a lukewarm reception. Elsewhere on the album chart, English pop singer Adele's "21" rebounded one place to No. 2 in its 19th week, with 91,500 copies. Its tally stands at 2.5 million copies, easily making it the biggest album of the year.

