Constant touring and hard work are apparently paying off in big ways for the modern-day folk-rocker Ani DiFranco.

The indie singer/songwriter, who in the past few years has risen from virtual obscurity to a place reserved for select artists, has now seen her latest album, Little Plastic Castle, debut impressively at #22 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this past week.

According to SoundScan, 50,000 copies of Little Plastic Castle moved out of stores in the week ending Feb. 22, with young country-sensation LeAnn Rimes' You Light Up My Life (#21) and pop-phenomenon the Spice Girls' Spice (#20) blockading her entrance into the top 20.

Somerville, N.J., resident Matt Apgar, 19, was one of the 50,000 people to pick up a copy of DiFranco's album and was pleasantly surprised at the direction DiFranco is taking. "Although this new album is a little different than what she has previously put out," Apgar wrote in an e-mail, referring to Little Plastic Castle's use of horns, "it's definitely a delightful surprise."

The fact that the folk singer with a feminist point of view who runs her own indie label, Righteous Babe Records, debuted so high on the charts didn't seem to phase Apgar at all. "She has gained a lot of popularity in the past two years," he wrote. "Instead of being a name rarely heard of, Ani DiFranco is a name that has become well known. Considering the attention the new album was getting before it was put out, I'm not at all surprised it has sold so much."

At Tower Records in Philadelphia, 25-year-old sales clerk Rich Drinkhouse reported that while Little Plastic Castle hadn't moved quite as many copies as he'd expected, selling 50 of the 150 copies ordered, its sales were still strong enough to make it the 11th top-selling CD in the store. "And that will probably change in the coming weeks," Drinkhouse speculated. "It's getting a lot of radio play out here," he continued. "And we just set up a big display for her."

Meanwhile, Sarah Bejin, a sales clerk at Bimingham, Mich.'s Harmony House, reported that her store was slightly disappointed with sales of Little Plastic Castle. "We ordered a box of 30," she said, "and we've probably sold about 10 copies. Given the buzz surrounding her, I thought we would have sold more."

The week's highest debut also came from an unconventional artist on an indie label, though on the other end of the spectrum. Gangsta-rapper Silkk The Shocker saw his Charge it 2 Da Game land at #3, continuing the success labelmate and older brother Master P has found with his indie rap imprint No Limit Records. The group Tru, which Silkk The Shocker is a part of, also had good luck on the chart this week, as their Tru 2 Da Game climbed back on the charts at #187.

And speaking of successes, the top 10's other new resident, the soundtrack to the Adam Sandler '80s nostalgia movie "The Wedding Singer" sold 89,000 copies last week and jumped from #26 to #9. The soundtrack, which features songs by that era's success stories -- including Culture Club, the Smiths and the Thompson Twins -- has sold 150,000 copies in three weeks.

Pearl Jam's Yield, which went gold last week, logged another week in the top 10, selling 102,000 copies and slipping from #3 to #5. Also seeing some downward movement in the top 10 were Matchbox 20, as their multi-platinum Yourself or Someone Like You moved 87,000 copies and slipped from #9 to #10, having spent several months in the upper regions of the chart.

Looking forward to next week, it will be interesting to see what kind of boost the 40th annual Grammy ceremony has on the sales of some of 1997's best albums. Among the numerous nominees to watch are Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind, currently at #112; Paula Cole's This Fire, currently at #40; and Erykah Badu's Baduizm, which is currently at #173.

In addition, keep an eye on the 1998 Grammy Nominees compilation, which features tracks by Fiona Apple, No Doubt and the Rolling Stones.

Filling out the top 10: Titanic (#1); Let's Talk About Love, Celine Dion (#2); Savage Garden, Savage Garden (#4); Backstreet Boys Jive, Backstreet Boys (#6); My Way, Usher (#7); and Spiceworld, Spice Girls (#8). [Wed., Feb. 25, 1998, 7 p.m. PST]