Pop Album Chart : An ‘Unforgettable’ Leap to No. 1

Natalie Cole certainly won’t forget this. Her “Unforgettable” album, featuring her ‘40s-style renditions of father Nat’s songs, is the new No. 1 album on the Billboard magazine pop chart. It’s the first major hit album in the pop-ballad standards genre since Barbra Streisand’s “Broadway Album” five years ago. Female Dutch sax player Candy Dulfer’s mostly instrumental R&B;/jazz album continues to steadily climb the charts, jumping from No. 58 to No. 46. Two rap albums debuted high on the chart--the “Boyz N the Hood” soundtrack (No. 23) and the Geto Boys’ raunchy “We Can’t Be Stopped” (No. 33). Bryan Adams’ single, “(Everything I Do) I Do it For You” from “Robin Hood,” is the new No. 1 pop single.

* The highest-charting rap album (at No. 15) is the latest pop-rap collection from DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, “Homebase.”

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1.”Unforgettable” 2 4 5 Natalie Cole (Elektra) 2.”For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” 1 1 4 Van Halen (Warner Bros.) 3.”Spellbound” 4 3 9 Paula Abdul (Virgin) 4.”Gonna Make You Sweat” 5 5 29 C+C Music Factory (Columbia) 5.”Slave to the Grind” 3 2 5 Skid Row (Atlantic) *”Homebase” ... ... 1 DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince (Jive)