Clay Aiken (left) was runner-up in the second series of the show

Measure Of A Man sold 613,000 copies in its first week.

Aiken was beaten in the final of the second series last May by Ruben Studdard, with just 130,000 votes separating the pair.

Studdard's debut album, Soulful, is scheduled for release in November.

Despite being runner-up in the series, Aiken beat Studdard to the top of the Billboard singles chart earlier this year when the pair released their debut singles on the same day.

Second

Aiken's cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water eventually sold about 100,000 more copies than Studdard's cover of Westlife's Flying Without Wings, to take the number one spot.

Aiken is the second American Idol contestant to top the album charts.

Kelly Clarkson, winner of the first series, debuted at number one with her album Thankful last year. However, it sold only 297,000 copies in its first week on release.

Clarkson also topped the Billboard singles charts with her debut A Moment Like This, and recently hit the top 10 in the UK with Miss Independent.