Reba McEntire’s new album of duets cleaned up nicely the top of the U.S. Billboard 200, outdoing last week’s battling rappers, Kanye West and 50 Cent.

Country star Reba McEntire, Billboard magazine’s first recipient of the Woman of the Year Award, has one more reason to gloat: her new album, “Reba Duets,” debuted at No. 1 on album charts with 301,000 sold copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

This is the first time the singer has debuted at No. 1 in her 31-year career, with previous successes in 1992, when “It's Your Call” sold 124,000 copies in its first week and in 1994, when “Read My Mind” came in at No. 2.

Her new album features duets with singing favorites that are sure to make the album appealing to a broad audience. Among Reba’s guests on the album are LeAnn Rimes, Kelly Clarkson, Faith Hill, Kenney Chesney and, drum roll, Justin Timberlake.

Last week, the great hubbub was whether Kanye’s “Graduation” would outsell 50 Cent’s “Curtis” or vice versa. Kanye’s album ultimately won the race, selling more than 957,000 albums, to 50’s 691,000 copies.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, both rappers saw a dramatic decline in their second week, with a sales drop of more than 70 percent. “Graduation” slipped to a comfortable No. 2, with 226,000 copies sold, while “Curtis” slipped to No. 3 with a modest 143,000 copies sold.

At No. 4 comes another debut, this time from veteran singer Barry Manilow, who re-experiences the 1970s in “The Greatest Songs of the Seventies.” The album sold 113,000 copies.

British singer James Blunt, who likes to hypnotize his fans with songs such as “You’re Beautiful,” saw his second album, “All the Lost Souls,” find some 92,000 new homes in its first week of release, debuting at No. 7.

Houston-based rapper Chamillionaire opened at No. 8 with 79,000 copies of his new album, “Ultimate Victory,” sold over the past week. One place further is KT Tunstall's second album, “Drastic Fantastic,” which sold 50,000 copies.

Finally, the tenth position is occupied by Chicago-based rapper Twista, whose fifth album, “Adrenaline Rush 2007,” sold 41,000 copies.

Billboard announced earlier this month that it would bestow its first-ever Woman of the Year Award upon Reba McEntire, during ceremonies in New York City on Oct. 5.

The award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the music business and who inspire other women to assume greater responsibilities within the industry, Billboard said.

“Reba is an inspiration to women everywhere. We are delighted to be presenting her with this award,” Billboard Group editorial director Tamara Conniff said.