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Brits battle back to top the pops
By Oliver Stallwood, Metro 17.08.06
James Morrison: one of the rising stars of British music
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Britpop has made a dramatic comeback as a string of home-grown acts bid to be the new kings of the charts.
This year has been the best for new British talent for a decade, figures show, with breakthrough artists selling more albums more quickly than ever before.
Debut releases have topped the Official British Albums Chart for 13 weeks so far in 2006. "British music is on a high," said Peter Jamieson, chairman of the British Phonographic Industry. "Fans are buying a record number of debut albums."
The latest new star is white Otis Redding sound-a-like James Morrison, who was born in Rugby, Warwickshire. He is at No.1 in the chart for a second week with his first LP, Undiscovered.
The BPI analysed debut acts in the Top 100 album chart in the first six months of 2006. Arctic Monkeys, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Kooks, Shayne Ward, Journey South, Andy Abraham, Sandi Thom, The Feeling and Dirty Pretty Things sold
3.3million records - or 17 per cent of all albums sold. Five years ago, just two British acts did as well, while only three matched the achievement in 1996.
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