THE Dixie Chicks ruled the roost for a second straight week at No. 1 with their latest album, Home, while rapper Eminem clung to No. 2 after four months in the pop charts, sales data showed Wednesday.

　　Home, mostly produced while the female country music trio was at war with its record label, sold nearly 367,000 copies during the week ended Sept. 8, bringing its two-week tally to more than 1.1 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

　　The album marked a sharper turn toward pure country than previous pop-flavored releases from the Texas-based group, consisting of singer Natalie Maines, fiddle player Martie Maguire and her sister, dobro and banjo player Emily Robison.

　　Music for Home was mostly recorded during the 11 months the group spent locked in a high-profile contract dispute with Sony Music Entertainment.

　　Home opened at No. 1 on the country and pop charts with 780,000 copies sold during its first week in stores, the biggest debut ever for Sony’s Columbia Records label. The trio also became the only country music group to have two No. 1 debuts on the album charts.

　　Their previous release, Fly, opened at No. 1 in September 1999 with 341,000 copies sold and has since been certified for shipments in excess of 10 million units. The group’s major-label debut, Wide Open Spaces, peaked at No. 4 in February 1999, a year after its low-profile release, and it has since shipped more than 11 million units.

　　Meanwhile, Detroit-based rap star Eminem held fast at No. 2 as his third major-label LP, The Eminem Show, sold 179,000 copies. The album has now spent 16 weeks lodged in the upper echelons of the pop charts, taking its sales total to nearly 5.6 million units.

　　Teen pop newcomer Avril Lavigne remained at No. 3 with her debut album, Let Go, which sold 146,000 copies.

　　(SD-Agencies)