Grammy Hype: Best selling albums of 2010

The time of year that all music junkies anticipate is almost here ... the Grammys. The nominees will be announced Dec. 1 (10 p.m. on CBS), and until then, we'll be highlighting possible contenders in the top categories. First up in our round of Grammy Hype is the best selling albums of 2010.

While nominees in the Album of the Year category are not chosen based on record sales, we thought you should know who has been killing the charts since their albums dropped. FYI -- last year Taylor Swift took home the Album of the Year award for "Fearless," which also had the top album sales for the year, selling 3.2 million copies, according the Nielsen SoundScan.

Here is a list of the best selling albums of 2010, with total album sales, from the week ending January 10 to July 4. The albums with stars next to them were released in 2009, so they're not eligible for a Grammy nom, but still dominated the charts in the first half of 2010. All data is from Billboard.com.

1. "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum (2,355,000)
2. "My World 2.0," Justin Bieber  (1,387,000)
3. "Soldier of Love," Sade  (1,213,000)
4. "The Fame," Lady Gaga (1,151,000) *
5. "Recovery," Eminem  (1,058,000)
6. "Raymond vs. Raymond," Usher (898,000)
7. "The E.N.D.," Black Eyed Peas (853,000) *
8. "Animal," Kesha (813,000) *
9. "My World," Justin Bieber (710,000) *
10. "Thank Me Later," Drake (709,000)

These are impressive candidates for Album of the Year, who all gave us singles that we are still bumping to, but some other artists may take the crown this year. A number of albums have dropped since July that may make the year-end cut according to their recent album sales and hype. Here are five potentials:

1. "Come Around Sundown," Kings of Leon
2. "Sale el Sol," Shakira
3. "Passion, Pain, Pleasure," Trey Songz
4. "The Incredible Machine," Sugarland
5. "I am not a human being," Lil Wayne (who still manages to top the charts although he is behind bars)

Check out our video collage of the hottest singles from each album listed. The competition looks tight this year. Who do you think will take the coveted title home?