Michael Jackson album tops Billboard's No. 1 album chart, again

Demi Lovato topped the Billboard 200 album chart with the release of her sophomore album, "Here We Go Again," but she didn't sell the most albums for the week ending on July 26. That distinction again goes to the late Michael Jackson and his 2003 greatest hits release, "Number Ones."

Jackson sold 154,000 copies this week compared to the 16-year-old Lovato's 108,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. However, Billboard doesn't include albums older than 18 months on their flagship chart, making Lovato No. 1 for the week.

Falling to No. 2 was Daughtry, whose second album, "Leave This Town," fell 63 percent in sales after topping the charts in its first week. The 269,000 copies they sold in that first week made it the first album to out sell Jackson's "Number Ones" since news of the singer's death stunned the world in late June. Daughtry sold 100,000 copies this week.

From one "American Idol" alumni to another, Jordin Sparks debuted her second album, "Battlefield," which sold a disappointing 48,000 to land itself at No. 7. Sparks received the dubious distinction of having the worst selling debut album of any "American Idol" winner in 2007 with her self-titled album.

Maxwell's "BLACKsummers'night" dropped one spot to No. 3 with 73,000. At No. 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart was the compilation album series, "Now 31," with 58,000 units sold, while the third soundtrack to the "Hannah Montana" Disney television series rounded out the top five with 54,000.

Overall album sales were down 7.8 percent from last week and 20.3 percent compared to the same sales week in 2008 with 6.25 million units.