Pop opera types Il Divo and the lovely Kate Bush are fighting it out for the number one slot in the album chart this weekend. HMV are predicting that Il Divo will be top, as they are currently outselling Bush with their long player 'Ancora', but over at Virgin Megastores they're saying Kate Bush will take it, as at their stores the singer's first album in twelve years 'Aerial' is in the lead.
HMV's Phil Penman, commenting on the Simon Cowell managed Il Divo, said: "It's not surprising that their new album looks set to get off to a chart-topping start. Despite 'crossing-over' from a classical background, I suspect they'll be taking on the likes of Eminem, Madonna and Robbie to be the biggest-selling artists of the Christmas period." Penman added that although there'd been a "a massive day one rush" for the Kate Bush album on Monday, he did not expect her to overtake Il Divo in the chart, saying "I can see this album becoming yet another classic, which, despite being a double-CD, will sell consistently well in the coming weeks."
However, a spokesman for Virgin Megastores says: "Kate Bush is outselling Il Divo four to one. It is definitely going to be one of those two at number one this week. We predicted Kate Bush would be number one, we were fairly confident from the start. We do sometimes have varying sales from HMV depending on clientele."