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Rod Stewart's comeback rock release in eight years earned him his fourth No. 1 album on the US pop albums chart with 184,304 copies sold in the week, according Nielsen SoundScan data provided by the veteran rocker's J Records label.

"Still the Same ... Great American Rock Classics of Our Time" features Bob Seger-written title track, Bob Dylan's "If Not For You" and Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" -- is Stewart's first No. 1 rock album since 1979's "Blondes Have More Fun." His other chart-toppers were the Grammy-winning "Stardust ... The Great American Songbook: Volume III" in 2004 and 1971's "Every Picture Tells A Story."

The previous week's champ, goth-pop band Evanescence's "The Open Door" slipped to No. 2 with 164,000 copies.

Billboard. Rapper Lloyd Banks' second set, "Rotten Apples," bowed at No. 3 with 143,000 units. His 2004 debut, "The Hunger for More," debuted at No. 1.

Jimmy Buffett's "Take the Weather With You" stands at the fourth spot of the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart with 121,000 units. His 2004 release, "License To Chill," debuted at No. 1 in 2004 with 239,000.

Tony Bennett's "Duets: An American Classic" fell one place to No. 5 in its second week with 105,000 units.

Rod Stewart can be regarded as the rock generation's heir to Sam Cooke. Like Cooke, Stewart delivers both romantic ballads and uptempo material with conviction and panache, and he sings in a warm, soulful rasp.

Before his notoriety as an international "Ladies Man" and football fanatic, Rod Stewart started his musical career as a credible artist.

After an unsuccessful apprenticeship with Brentford football club, Rod joined Long John Baldry's group, The Hoochie Coochie Men, in 1964.

A year later and a name change to Steampacket, the band was supporting the Rolling Stones on tour. Rod had his first nationwide exposure when he joined the Jeff Beck Group, as lead vocalist, in 1966.

When the group disbanded, Rod Stewart joined The Faces, who quickly earned themselves a reputation of being a boozy, boisterous rock and roll band. For the next six years, Rod would run a parallel solo career, which drew critical acclaim for the warmth of his song writing style.

In 1971, the song 'Maggie May' was his first Number One hit internationally, and was later named as one of the '500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll'.

A bitter squabble with a tax collector sent rod Stewart packing to the glitzy Los Angeles a move which the singer underlined by the album title 'Atlantic Crossing' and the anthemic single 'Sailing'.

The release of 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy' not only marked a turning point in Rod's musical styles, it also sealed the singer's image as a swaggering, preening ladies' man with the tabloids. The critics turned on his more pop-sounding approach as a sell-out to that era's disco trend.

His career came full circle in 1993 when he recorded Unplugged...and Seated for MTV's "Unplugged" series, reuniting with his erstwhile collaborator, Ron Wood, for a run-through of vintage material.

In 1998, he recorded one of his strongest albums in years, When We Were the New Boys, which harked back to the rough-and-tumble rock of the Faces era while paying respect to newer acts who'd come along in their wake, such as Oasis, Graham Parker and Elvis Costello.

'Tonight's the Night' marked Rod's enduring appeal, at London's Victoria Palace theatre, featuring many of Stewart's biggest hits. Most recently, Rod has successfully concentrated on singing standards from the 1930s and 1940s for 'The Great American Songbook'.

His interpretation of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, the Gershwins and other great American songwriters may have met with mixed critical response, but it has been massively successful with the public. Great sales have resulted in two volumes so far, and a third will be released shortly.

Rod Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 19, 1994

at the ninth annual induction dinner.

You can read more news and updates of your favorite music artists at http://www.mylyricscentral.com.