Cowell’s prolific Il Divo scores with ‘Ancora’

IL Divo, Simon Cowell’s experiment in mixing classical vocal styles with polished pop sensibilities, has the new No. 1 album in the country with “Ancora,” which sold 157,000 copies last week.

Il Divo is a quartet of handsome young men (three Europeans and San Diego native David Miller) trained in opera who were selected after a two-year search. “Ancora” is the third CD the foursome has released in less than a year and features classical-flavored interpretations of such pop hits as Mariah Carey’s “Hero” and Eric Carmen’s “All by Myself.”

Country singer-songwriter Josh Turner’s sophomore album, “Your Man,” opens at No. 2 on first-week sales of 102,000 copies. The South Carolina singer displays a sense of history -- he covers a Don Williams hit, sings about Loretta Lynn and is joined on two tracks by veterans Ralph Stanley and John Anderson.

At No. 5 is Yellowcard, the Ventura-based pop-punk quintet, with “Lights and Sounds,” which sold 90,000 copies its first week in stores. P.O.D., the rap-rock band hailing from San Ysidro whose lyrics are laced with Christian spirituality, opens at No. 9 with “Testify.”

Two collections of notable recent songs -- “Now #1’s” and “2006 Grammy Nominees” -- debut at No. 6 and No. 14, respectively.