Ice Cube Cools Field

The Times’ Southern California pop album has a whole new look, with three of the top four making splashy premieres--albums by new chart leader Ice Cube, second-ranked Whitney Houston and Kenny G, who entered at No. 4.

Houston rules the pop singles chart with her red-hot single “I Will Always Love You” from the “Bodyguard” soundtrack.

Garth Brooks still has stranglehold on the country Top 10, with a remarkable four albums in the top seven.

TOP 10 ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 Predator, Ice Cube (1) -- 2 The Bodyguard, soundtrack (2) -- 3 Love Deluxe, Sade (8) 1 4 Breathless, Kenny G (9) -- 5 Unplugged, Eric Clapton (5) 2 6 Timeless, Michael Bolton (4) 3 7 The Chase, Garth Brooks (3) 5 8 Automatic for the People, R.E.M. (10) 7 9 Ten, Pearl Jam (12) 4 10 Erotica, Madonna (16) 6

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TOP 10 SINGLES

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston (1) 2 2 Rump Shaker, Wreckx-N-Effect (2) 1 3 If I Ever Fall in Love, Shai (3) 3 4 Back to The Hotel, N2Deep (11) 5 5 How Do You Talk to an Angel, The Heights (4) 4 6 I’d Die Without You, PM Dawn (5) 6 7 Jump Around, House of Pain (6) 7 8 Rhythm is a Dancer, Snap (7) 8 9 Good Enough, Bobby Brown (8) 14 10 What About Your Friends, TLC (9) 9

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TOP 10 COUNTRY ALBUMS

Title, Artist (National Rank) Last Week 1 The Chase, Garth Brooks (1) 1 2 Pure Country, George Strait (3) 2 3 Some Gave All, Billy Ray Cyrus (2) 3 4 Beyond the Season, Garth Brooks (4) 4 5 Wynonna, Wynonna Judd (8) 5 6 No Fences, Garth Brooks (7) 6 7 Ropin’ the Wind, Garth Brooks (9) 7 8 I Still Believe in You, Vince Gill (6) 8 9 Brand New Man, Brooks & Dunn (5) 10 10 Lot About Livin,’ Alan Jackson (10) --

Source: SoundScan Inc., for week ending Nov. 22