Rihanna’s Unapologetic leads Official Albums Chart race

Rihanna is on course for her third consecutive Number 1 album in as many years with Unapologetic, according to today’s Official Albums Chart Update.

Rihanna’s seventh full-length, Unapologetic, looks set to follow in the footsteps of 2010’s Loud and 2011’s Talk That Talk, which both peaked at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart. If it can maintain its lead through to Sunday, Unapologetic will be Rihanna’s fourth Official Number 1 album overall (her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, also peaked at Number 1 back in 2007).

It’s been an amazing 12 months for the Bajan superstar. In the UK alone, she’s sold over three million singles, and has become the second biggest selling female singles artist of all time (behind Madonna). And she’s still only 24!

This week’s second highest new entry is Led Zeppelin’s live album, Celebration Day (Number 2). Recorded at the band’s tribute concert to late Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun at London’s O2 Arena in December, 2007, Celebration Day captures the magic of frontman Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist John Paul Jones performing live together for the first time since the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980. Drumming duties at the reunion concert were provided by Bonham’s son, Jason.

Reigning chart topper, Take Me Home by One Direction, is set to slide two places to Number 3, while their fellow X Factor stars, Little Mix, look set to enter the Official Albums Chart on Sunday at Number 4 with their debut album, DNA. Susan Boyle completes this week’s Official Albums Chart Update Top 5 with her fourth album, Standing Ovation - The Greatest Songs From The Stage (5).

New Entries

In addition to Rihanna’s Unapologetic (Number 1), Led Zeppelin’s Celebration Day (2), Little Mix’s DNA (4) and Susan Boyle’s Standing Ovation (Number 5), there are three other new entries on today’s Official Albums Chart Update.

London MC Example is on course for his third consecutive Top 10 album. The follow-up to his 2011 Number 1 Playing In the Shadows, The Evolution Of Man, looks set to debut at Number 7 on Sunday.

This week’s Official Albums Chart Update’s new entries are completed by AC/DC’s new live album, Live At River Plate, at Number 14, and I Will Always Love You – The Best Of Whitney Houston at Number 29.

Michael Buble’s Christmas album looks set to re-enter this week’s Official Albums Chart at Number 6 following the release of a deluxe edition on Monday. Christmas was the second biggest selling album of 2011 (behind Adele’s 21), and was last year’s Number 1 Christmas album. To date, it has now sold over 1.3 million copies in the UK.

The Official Albums Chart Update Top 40 is as follows:

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