Everyone realized going in that it would be a tight race between three highly anticipated releases -- each one a convincing contender for Billboard's peak position. But despite fierce competition from more-established artists like Eminem and Gwen Stefani, a 21-year-old R&B songstress claimed the prize.

With her sophomore studio LP, The Evolution, selling more than 338,000 copies during its inaugural sales week, Ciara -- who has grown to hate being called the "First Lady of Crunk & B" -- has her first #1 debut.

According to the latest SoundScan tallies, Ciara spanked the competition during what was yet another strong week at record retail (augmented by both holiday shoppers and the pronouncement last week of this year's Grammy contenders), outselling this week's #2 -- the Eminem-helmed 22-track Shady Records compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up -- by more than 37,000 copies.

Comparatively, Ciara's debut disc, 2004's Goodies, opened at #3 on the Billboard chart, selling 125,000 units. Em's Re-Up -- which isn't really an Eminem album proper, but rather a Shady Records mixtape boasting contributions from 50 Cent, members of D12, Obie Trice, Akon, Stat Quo, Bobby Creekwater and of course Mr. Mathers himself -- netted close to 309,000 scans during its first week in stores.

No Doubt frontwoman Stefani's sophomore solo outing, The Sweet Escape, finished a not-so-distant third in the race for this week's Billboard ribbon, with sales reported at close to 243,000. Her 2004 debut, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, didn't chart as high following its first week on shelves (opening at #7), but did experience healthier sales, scanning more than 309,000 copies.

Elsewhere in the top 10, the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original series "Hannah Montana" slipped two spots to #4, with nearly 232,000 units scanned; the album enjoyed a 47-percent sales bump, keeping it firmly planted in the chart's top 10. The Now That's What I Call Music! 23 collection, featuring contributions from Justin Timberlake, Fergie, Snoop Dogg and Christina Aguilera, finished at #5 with 185,000 copies sold, followed at #6 by Il Divo's Siempre, with 166,000 scans; sales of the LP surged a whopping 128 percent after an "Oprah" appearance.

The self-titled debut offering from Daughtry, the band fronted by "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry, continues to generate interest at retail but slides four slots this week to #7 on 155,000 units, followed at #8 by the Beatles' Cirque du Soleil soundtrack project Love, with 152,000 scans. Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong slips two spots to #9 on 137,000 copies, while Carrie Underwood enjoys a post-Grammy-announcement 50-percent spike to land Some Hearts at #10.

Ciara, Em, and Gwen weren't the chart's sole newcomers, though -- six other fresh LPs made their mark on the top 200 this week, although none managed to crack the top 10. Opening this week at #20 is the soundtrack to the forthcoming motion picture "Dreamgirls," which features the film's stars Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. Oddly enough, the collector's edition of the album occupies the chart's #132 slot, helping to net the LP another 14,500 scans.

Crunk practicioner Lil Scrappy's Bred 2 Die Born 2 Live opens at #24 with 82,000 sold, while Brian McKnight's Ten takes the #32 spot, with 63,000 copies going home with consumers. Meanwhile, Project Pat's Crook by da Book: The Fed Story pops up at #64, with 31,500 in first-week scans, and the new one from tween-dream actor Drake Bell, It's Only Time, debuts at #81 with 23,000 copies sold.