NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 4, 2013)—The top album for 2012 is the same album that was the best-seller in 2011, Adele's "21."

Nielsen SoundScan said it's the first time since it started tracking album sales two decades ago that one album has dominated sales for two straight years.

Adele sold 4.4 million copies of "21" last year, coming off the heels of the nearly 6 million she sold the year before, a total of 10 million albums in two years for the British-born act.