CMT News

Brad Paisley barrels into the No. 1 niche on Billboard's country songs chart this week with his wise and charming "Letter to Me." But Taylor Swift's self-titled CD persists in its reign atop the albums list.

The songs making their first appearance on the charts are Jewel's "Stronger Woman" (No. 50), Sara Evans' "Some Things Never Change" (No. 54), the Reba McEntire- Kenny Chesney duet, "Every Other Weekend" (No. 58), Clay Walker's "She Likes It in the Morning" (No. 59) and the Drew Davis Band's "Back There All the Time" (No. 60).

Anne Murray has the highest-debuting album, Duets: Friends & Legends, which bows at No. 8. The other newbies are Trisha Yearwood's Love Songs (a collection from her MCA days) at No. 35, followed by the multi-artist package, I Will Always Love You: 17 Inspirational Love Songs, at No. 44 and Kenny Rogers' A Love Song Collection (No. 53). Suppose anyone's marketing music toward Valentine Day shoppers?

There are no returning albums to this week's chart, but there is one comeback song, the Road Hammers' "I Don't Know When to Quit," popping in at No. 51.

Parading directly behind "Letter to Me" within the Top 5 songs are Rascal Flatts' "Winner at a Losing Game," Montgomery Gentry's "What Do Ya Think About That," Sugarland's "Stay" and Swift's mighty "Our Song."

The remaining Top 5 albums, in descending order, are Garth Brooks' The Ultimate Hits, the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden, Sugarland's Enjoy the Ride and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' Raising Sand.

To quote an old Vern Gosdin song, "That just about does it -- don't it?"