Once more from the top of the chart for Simpson

ASHLEE Simpson’s sophomore release, “I Am Me,” entered the national album sales chart Wednesday at No. 1, making the singer two for two in chart-topping debuts. Her first album, “Autobiography,” did the trick in June 2004.

With sales of 220,000, “I Am Me” finished comfortably ahead of the No. 2 album, Rod Stewart’s “Thanks for the Memory -- The Great American Songbook, Volume IV.” The reformed British rocker’s latest collection of pop standards tallied 193,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Country singer Martina McBride also looks to the past with her new “Timeless,” a collection of her favorite numbers from country music past. It entered at No. 3 with sales of 185,000 copies.

Those three albums led a wave of new entries at the top of the chart, with only four of last week’s biggest sellers remaining in the Top 10.

Stevie Wonder’s first new studio album in a decade, “A Time to Love,” came in at No. 5, selling 121,000 its first week, while new recordings from rapper Bun-B from Southern hip-hop duo UGK (debuting at No. 6 with sales of 118,000) and Depeche Mode (No. 7, 99,000) fill out the roster of Top 10 newcomers.

Last week’s No. 1 album, Alicia Keys’ “Unplugged,” fell to No. 9 with a fairly typical second-week sales drop of 58%, from 196,000 to 83,000.