Usher is ninth new chart topper in as many weeks as albums make a stand.

Three weeks ago, album sales dipped to an eight-year low of 1,631,962. They have improved every week since, and climbed by 8.4% last week to 2.05m - their highest level for seven weeks. They also beat same-week 2007 sales of 1.98m by 3.7%. It is a welcome improvement, and one that is driven by higher sales in every segment of the chart, with end-of- month salary payments, half-term holidays and benign weather conditions doubtless all helping.

It is certainly not due to a massive number one - the ninth different album to top the chart in as many weeks, Usher's Here I Stand, earns its place in the penthouse suite thanks to first-week sales of 56,897 - higher than any album in the last three weeks but only the ninth best tally of the year.

Home to the recent number four single Love In This Club, the album is the 29-year-old R&B star's third number one. Its opening numbers are some way adrift of 2004's Confessions (98,272 sales) but ahead of 2001's 8701 (42,706). Perhaps surprisingly, only one of Usher's four previous albums - Confessions - has reached number one in the US but sales projections suggest Here I Stand will be his second, with first- week sales of around 400,000.

Something of a concept album, inspired by leader Jason Pierce's near fatal 2005 health problems, Songs In A&E is Spiritualized's first album since Amazing Grace in 2003, and debuts at number 15 on sales of 9,073, despite first single Soul On Fire's failure to dent the Top 75. The gospel influenced Amazing Grace peaked at number 25, well below their two immediately prior studio albums, 2001's Let it Come Down (number three) and 1997's Ladies ...