Chrisette Michele Bests Ciara for No. 1 Spot

Chrisette Michele has been crowned the victor in this week’s chart showdown.

The R&B songstress’ sophomore album Epiphany debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 selling 83,000 copies. Ciara’s long-awaited Fantasy Ride stalled on its way to the top, arriving at No. 3 with just under 81,000, one notch below the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack at No. 2 (81,000).

According to Billboard, Chrisette’s first-week tally is the lowest total for a No. 1-debuting album in Nielsen SoundScan’s 18-year history. However, it represents a career best for her. 2007’s I Am peaked at No. 29 (27,000).

Meanwhile, Ciara’s latest is the lowest debut of her career. The Evolution quadrupled Fantasy Ride’s first-week sales when it cracked the No. 1 spot with a whopping 338,000 copies in December 2006.