Furtado’s sexier sound is paying off

NELLY FURTADO is back with a sexier, dance-floor sound and the result is proving commercially potent -- the Canadian singer has the new No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart with her third CD, “Loose.”

The album, which sold 219,000 copies in its first week in stores, opened strong thanks to “Promiscuous,” a major radio hit of the moment that benefited from the presence of Timbaland, who is on hand as a producer for 10 of the album’s 13 tracks. The album finds Furtado in her familiar mode of eclectic music styles: There’s room enough on the CD for her to flirt with reggaeton, folk, pop and hip-hop and the credits include collaborators as far-flung as Colombian star Juanes and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

At No. 2 this week is “Define the Great Line,” the sophomore release from Underoath, a six-member Christian-heavy music band.

The Warped Tour veterans saw their CD sell 98,000 copies in its first week in stores, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Keane debuts at No. 4 this week with “Under the Iron Sea,” the second album from the U.K. pop trio.

Its CD sold 75,000 copies, about 12,000 fewer than the No. 3 seller this week, “Taking the Long Way,” the Dixie Chicks album that has been encamped in the Top 10 for weeks.

Debuting at No. 7 this week are Shawn Jay and Smoke, better known as the Albany, Ga., rap duo Field Mob. Their new collection, “Light Poles and Pine Trees,” features notable contributions from Ludacris and Ciara and sold 63,400 copies in its first week.

Other notable debuts this week: “Journey of a Gemini,” from Chicago R&B; singer Donell Jones, which bows at No. 15 after selling 49,000 copies; British soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae’s self-titled album, which begins at the chart’s No. 17 position after selling 40,000 copies; “Ganging Up on the Sun,” the Guster album that sold 33,000 copies and reached No. 25; and Madonna’s concert performance CD, “I’m Going to Tell You a Secret,” at No. 33 with sales of 25,000 copies.