Rihanna Defends Chart for Sixth Week

In a week of strong debuts and stiff competition, Rihanna manages to rack up one more at the top with ‘Umbrella’. Now it its sixth week, the longest number one so far this year gets closer to tying Gnarls Barkley’s nine week performance with ‘Crazy’ in March 2006

Just under Rihanna’s umbrella, Lee Mead’s dream of a number one single stalls at number 2 as ‘Any Dream Will Do’ rockets from 18. Meanwhile Enrique Iglesias freezes at 3 with ‘Do You Know’.

Other than the Editors who leap into the top ten at number 7 from 30 with ‘Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors’, the lead single from their forthcoming second album, the top ten remains stale.

Thirteen tracks begin their run on the chart this week lead by Hoosiers ‘Worried About Ray’. Right behind them, Take That, serenade the charts with another ballad, ‘I'd Wait For Life’.

Muse charge in to the top twenty at 18 with download-only track ‘Map Of The Problematique’. A true guitar workout, it does not rewrite history, but as a mostly instrumental album track, it fares better than some of the proper singles released this week.

Justin Timberlake cracks the top forty once more with a fourth single from his ‘Futuresex / Lovesounds’ album. ‘Lovestoned’ smokes at number 21 where it’ll smoulder for the next seven days until it burns into the top ten next week. Unfortunately, Gareth Gates’ return causes less of a flame. New ballad “Angel on my shoulder’ does little to solidify his comeback and this weak track blends quickly into the background and probably wont be around in two weeks time.

Other new tracks include Jack Penate who rips up number 25 with ‘Torn On The Platform’, Air Traffic takes over the number 30 spot with ‘Shooting Star’, Paramore come in right behind them at 31 with ‘Misery Business’ and new at 31, Ash returns with ‘Polaris’.

In a week of massive chart debuts, none is as spectacular as the return of 65-year-old Paul McCartney. ‘Dance Tonight’, a folksy acoustic guitar-inspired tune from his Starbucks promoted new album, shines as a stripped down ditty sounding more like former Beatle-mate George Harrison than anything Sir Paul has released in the last 5 decades of charting. He’s the granddaddy of pop this week and still kickin.

My Chemical Romance courts the charts again at number 34 with an angst filled guitar pounder ‘Teenagers’, the perfect sing along for stoners. You can almost smell the smoke rise from the basement as this one spins on the player. Good times.

Simon Webbe from Blue comes back to the charts with another solo hit. With a track from the Fantastic Four sequel soundtrack, ‘Ride The Storm’ shares the spotlight with the second A-side ‘Grace’. Fuelled by strings, a gospel choir backing and a vintage diva howling ‘Grace’ every other beat, ‘Grace’ could easily be mistaken for his hit from 2005 ‘No Worries’. The songs sound so similar, Webbe must have decided not only to do a sequel soundtrack song but an actual sequel to his own hit.

New at 37, Fergie brings her ‘Big girls don’t cry’ to the UK chart. Already top ten in her native US, this song marks a departure from her usual sexed up affairs. ‘Girls’ tones down the music to little less than a few strings and a mild drum beat, focusing more on the vocal than instrumental wizardry. Surprisingly Fergie is more than just a pretty face – this single proves the girl from the Black Eyed Peas famous for chanting about her humps can sing with emotion and substance.