Pop Album Chart : ‘janet.’...

The queen of the pop charts for the last six months has been Whitney Houston, with her “Bodyguard” soundtrack. But she’s abdicating for a while, yielding to Janet Jackson, whose “janet.” premiered at No. 1. Normally you’d think Jackson, who also has the top pop single with “That’s the Way Love Goes,” would be a shoo-in to rule all summer. But Houston may be back: More “Bodyguard” singles are due, she starts a national tour in early July and the movie comes out on video in mid-July. Veteran rockers Kiss, proving they still have plenty of fans, entered at No. 9 with “Alive III.”

*San Francisco’s 4 Non Blondes is zipping up the chart with “Bigger, Better, Faster, More!,” an audacious psychedelic funk-rock blend. The album jumped from No. 45 to No. 33.