Bruce Springsteen leads surge of Official Albums Chart new entries

According to today’s Official Albums Chart Update, 12 new albums – including releases by Bruce Springsteen, Military Wives, Katie Melua, Lionel Richie and Sinead O’Connor – are set to make their mark on the Official Albums Chart this Sunday.

As reported this morning, Bruce Springsteen’s acclaimed new album Wrecking Ball, which features contributions from Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello and Clarence Clemons, is currently in pole position, while the Military Wives‘ In My Dreams are a very close second.

With Emeli Sande’s Our Version Of Events and Adele’s 21 holding out inside the Top 5 at Number 3 and 4, respectively, the next highest new entry in today’s Official Albums Chart Update comes courtesy of Katie Melua with her new classical-inspired album, Secret Symphony.

In an interview with theofficialcharts.com, the multi-platinum star, who recently got engaged to World Superbike champion James Toseland, reveals how her love life has inspired one of the standout tracks on Secret Symphony.

“Forgetting All My Troubles is a song I couldn’t help but write,” she explained. “It’s a song about being in love and letting love heal things of the past. It really sums up where I am today in my life.”

Katie also goes on to discuss why she chose to cover tracks by artists such as Francoise Hardy, Ron Sexsmith and Travis frontman Fran Healy. Watch the interview below:

Official Albums Chart Update Top 40

Chart legend Lionel Richie returns today with new album Tuskegee (Number 8). Named after the singer’s hometown in Alabama where he was raised, Tuskegee features a collection of Lionel classics reworked as country duets, including appearances from the likes of Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Shania Twain and, perhaps more unpredictably, Pixie Lott.

Elsewhere, Dry The River’s debut album Shallow Bed on course to enter at 14, followed by Gilbert O’Sullivan’s The Very Best Of (16), Sinead O’Connor’s How About I Be Me (And You Be You) (23), children’s TV entertainer Justin Fletcher aka Mr Tumble is set to make an appearance at 25 with new release Hands Up – The Album, Civil Wars’ Barton Hollow (30), The Stranglers’ Giants (33), The Fray’s Scars & Stories (35), and Chiddy Bang’s Breakfast completes this weeks Official Albums Update Top 40 newcomers.

The full Official Albums Chart Update Top 40 is as follows:
01 WRECKING BALL - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
02 IN MY DREAMS - MILITARY WIVES
03 OUR VERSION OF EVENTS - EMELI SANDE
04 21 - ADELE
05 SECRET SYMPHONY - KATIE MELUA
06 + - ED SHEERAN
07 BORN TO DIE - LANA DEL REY
08 TUSKEGEE - LIONEL RICHIE
09 MYLO XYLOTO - COLDPLAY
10 MAKING MIRRORS - GOTYE
11 BEYOND THE SUN - CHRIS ISAAK
12 NOTHING BUT THE BEAT - DAVID GUETTA
13 19 - ADELE
14 SHALLOW BED - DRY THE RIVER
15 CEREMONIALS - FLORENCE & THE MACHINE
16 THE VERY BEST OF - GILBERT O'SULLIVAN
17 NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS - NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING
18 THE ESSENTIAL - WHITNEY HOUSTON
19 HELL IN A HANDBASKET - MEAT LOAF
20 IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW - OLLY MURS
21 DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS - BRUNO MARS
22 EL CAMINO - BLACK KEYS
23 HOW ABOUT I BE ME (AND YOU BE YOU) - SINEAD O'CONNOR
24 WHO YOU ARE - JESSIE J
25 HANDS UP - THE ALBUM - JUSTIN FLETCHER
26 STEREO TYPICAL - RIZZLE KICKS
27 LONELY ARE THE BRAVE - MAVERICK SABRE
28 SORRY FOR PARTY ROCKING - LMFAO
29 UP ALL NIGHT - ONE DIRECTION
30 BARTON HOLLOW - CIVIL WARS
31 HEAVEN - REBECCA FERGUSON
32 TALK THAT TALK - RIHANNA
33 GIANTS - STRANGLERS
34 EVERY KINGDOM - BEN HOWARD
35 SCARS & STORIES - FRAY
36 WATCH THE THRONE - JAY-Z & KANYE WEST
37 VELOCIRAPTOR - KASABIAN
38 LOUD - RIHANNA
39 BREAKFAST - CHIDDY BANG
40 STRONGER - KELLY CLARKSON

© 2012 the Official Charts Company.