Buffett hits No. 1 with bar tunes and duets

In an era of teen pop and youthful hip-hop, the last person you’d expect to see at the top of the charts is a good-timin’ ol’ boy such as Jimmy Buffett.

But the king of the parrot- heads’ new album, “License to Chill,” entered the national album sales chart Wednesday at No. 1 after selling 239,000 copies in its first week in the stores, reports Nielsen SoundScan.

The CD -- the first No. 1 album in Buffett’s three-decade career -- features interpretations by the 57-year-old singer of some of his favorite “bar gig” tunes, including Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin’ ” and the Don Gibson hit “Sea of Heartbreak.” It also features duets with such country stars as Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and Martina McBride.

Two other releases also entered the Top 10 on Wednesday. The Roots’ “The Tipping Point” finished No. 4, thanks to sales of 109,000, while the soundtrack to “A Cinderella Story,” ranked No. 9 with sales of 73,000.

Usher’s “Confessions,” the biggest-selling album of the year, is No. 2 on the chart, based on sales last week of 125,000. The CD has now sold 4.9 million copies since its release in March. Last week’s top seller, Lloyd Banks’ “The Hunger for More,” slipped to No. 3 this week, with sales of 111,000 copies.

-- Robert Hilburn