Chart Queen Taylor Swift Set To Lose Crown To U2

Swift`s `Fearless` sold 73,000 copies during the week ended March 1, hiking its tally to 2.7 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Country star Taylor Swift led the U.S. pop album chart for an 11th week on Wednesday, a feat unmatched by any artist since Santana collected 12 weeks at No. 1 in 1999 and 2000 with his Grammy-winning comeback "Supernatural."

Swift's "Fearless" sold 73,000 copies during the week ended March 1, hiking its tally to 2.7 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's highly unlikely Swift will be in the top slot next week, as all signs point to a No. 1 debut from U2's "No Line on the Horizon," which went on sale Tuesday.

Debuting at No. 2, a career high, was Lamb of God's "Wrath," which sold 68,000 copies. The metal act's last release, "Sacrament," entered at No. 8 with 63,000 in 2006.

The Jonas Brothers' "3D Concert Experience" soundtrack, an album that some prognosticators had predicted would open at No. 1, had to settle for a No. 3 bow with 50,000. The teen idols' movie sold $12.5 million worth of tickets during its first weekend at the North American box office, falling short of some industry expectations.

With help from the film's eight Oscar wins, the soundtrack to "Slumdog Millionaire" soared 18 places to No. 4 with 44,000. On the Hot Digital Songs chart, best original song Oscar winner, "Jai Ho" from composer A.R. Rahman, entered at No. 7, and will show a swift climb up the Billboard Hot 100 when that chart is issued on Thursday.

Back on the Billboard 200, Nickelback's "Dark Horse" slipped one place to No. 5 with 41,000, as Beyonce's "I Am... Sasha Fierce" was also down one, at No. 6, with 35,000. Lady GaGa's "The Fame" jumped three to a new peak of No. 7 with 32,000 units.

Denver rock act The Fray's self-titled album fell five to No. 8 with 31,000, and Jamie Foxx's "Intuition" dropped three to No. 9, also with 31,000. Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" was down two to No. 10 with 26,000.

Other debuts included country singer Jake Owen's second album "Easy Does It" at No. 13; Chris Isaak's first studio album in seven years "Mr. Lucky" at No. 29; Somalian rapper K'Naan's "Troubadour" at No. 32,; and Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl" at No. 33.

Albums sold in this past chart week totaled 6.91 million units, down 6.8% from the previous week, and down 13.1% from the same week last year when Janet Jackson's "Discipline" debuted at No. 1 with 181,000. Sales so far this year stand at 63.82 million, off 11.7% from last year.