Wednesday 8 November 2017

Country Billboard Chart News October 30, 2017

RIAA Certifications

LEE BRICE CELEBRATES RIAA MILESTONE

Photo: Cara Duckworth (RIAA), Lee Brice, Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney, on stage at Playstation Theater, NYC
(Nashville, Tenn.) October 31, 2017

With a new, self-titled album out on Nov. 3 (Curb Records), Lee Brice was surprised with a career sales milestone last week while on stage at the sold-out Playstation Theater in New York City.
Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney (CBS Radio’s “Tiki + Tierney”) joined the RIAA’s Cara Duckworth on stage with a custom-made plaque that showcased his career Gold and Platinum highlights, including eight singles that are Gold or higher plus two brand new GOLD album awards for LOVE LIKE CRAZY and his most recent album, I DON’T DANCE.
What does this all mean? It means that every one of Lee’s albums is now officially certified Gold or higher, and he has reached the rare milestone of more than 10 million Gold and Platinum career awards.
It is truly a rare feat for any artist to hit the pinnacle 10 million awards mark, and it only shows what a hit machine Lee is. We look forward to more great music from this talented artist! Congratulations!” said Cara from stage last Thursday evening (Oct. 19).

In Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of November 11, 2017)

Country Album Chart ** No.1 (1 week) LOSING SLEEP Chris Young
Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (4 weeks) ** “What If’s” Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina
Country Airplay ** No.1 (2 weeks) “When it Rains It Pours” Luke Combs
Country Digital Songs ** No.1 (3 non-consecutive weeks) ** “What If’s” Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News (Chart issue week of November 11, 2017)

The Billboard 200 chart measures multi-metric album consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Niall Horan's 'Flicker' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart
One Direction joins only The Beatles as acts with three members each with solo No. 1s.

Niall Horan arrived atop the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (BB200) with his debut solo album, Flicker. The set, which was released through Capitol Records on Oct. 20, starts with 152,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Oct. 26, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 128,241 were in traditional album sales.
Horan is the third member of group One Direction to notch a solo No.1 album, a feat matched only by The Beatles. Horan follows fellow One Direction member Harry Styles (with his self-titled debut earlier in 2017) and former group member Zayn (with his debut album, Mind of Mine, in 2016). The Beatles spun off multiple solo No.1s from George Harrison (two No. 1s), John Lennon (three No.1s) and Paul McCartney (six No.1s, including efforts alongside his band Wings).

Chris Young nabbed his fourth Billboard 200 top 10, as LOSING SLEEP debuted at No.5 with 39,000 units (31,898 in traditional album sales). It follows Young’s previous top 10s: I’m Comin’ Over (No. 5 in 2015), A.M. (No. 3, 2013) and Neon (No. 4, 2011). The new album was led by its first single, its title track, which has so far peaked at No.16 on the Country Airplay chart.

Darius Rucker claimed his fifth top 10 album, as his new set, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME, bowed at No. 8 with 34,000 units (30,072 in traditional album sales). As a soloist (apart from his band Hootie & The Blowfish), he previously visited the region with SOUTHERN STYLE (No. 7 in 2015), TRUE BELIEVERS (No.2, 2013), CHARLESTON, SC 1966 (No.2, 2010) and LEARN TO LIVE (No.5, 2008).
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME was preceded by its hit single “If I Told You,” which topped the Country Airplay chart in June. The song took a long, slow climb to the top -- it debuted on the chart dated July 16, 2016, and hit No.1 almost a year later, on June 24, 2017 -- its 47th week on the chart. (It’s one of only five songs to take at least 47 weeks to reach No. 1 in the Country Airplay chart’s 27-year history.) “If I Told You” gave Rucker his seventh No.1 on the tally, and first since 2013’s “Wagon Wheel.”

Billboard Top Country Albums (Chart issue week of November 11, 2017)
Top Country Albums now ranks the most popular country albums of the week, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA)).
10 digital track sales from an album = 1 track equivalent album (TEA) “sale”
1,500 on demand song streams from an album to one streaming equivalent album (SEA) “sale”.
Nielsen Music compiles the sales and streaming data. Billboard continues to publish pure album sales charts (subscription to billboard biz ), exclusively comprising Nielsen’s sales data.

Singer-songwriter Chris Young with his new album, LOSING SLEEP (RCA Nashville/Sony Music Nashville), roared in atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated Nov. 11), earning 39,000 equivalent album units in its first week ending Oct. 26, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 31,898 copies were via traditional album sales. 
On the all-genre Billboard 200, Losing Sleep arrived at No.5. “I’m just so excited for Losing Sleep to debut at the No.1 spot,” Young told Billboard. “I can’t thank everyone enough who has bought, streamed and listened to this album.”

Concurrently, Losing Sleep’s title-track lead single vaulted 15-8 on Hot Country Songs, becoming Young’s 12th top 10. The song increased by 10% to 21.2 million audience impressions and bulleted at its No.16 high on Country Airplay.


Losing Sleep, Young’s sixth studio LP, is his second Top Country Albums No.1 among seven top 10s.

CHART HISTORY: 
His last LP, I’M COMIN’ OVER, became his first Top Country Albums leader, debuting atop the Dec. 5, 2015-dated tally with 57,200 sold.
Young previously charted with:
His 2006 SELF-TITLED debut LP (No.3; 36,277 copies sold, Oct. 21, 2006)

THE MAN I WANT TO BE (No.6 Country; No.19 BB200 26,354 copies sold, Sept. 19, 2009)
NEON (RCA Nashville; released July 12, 2011), which brought his biggest one-week sales sum (No.2 Country; No4 BB200; 72,830 copies sold, July 30, 2011)
A.M. (Sept 17, 2013; RCA Nashville; No.2 Country; No.3 BB200; 52,742 copies sold, Oct. 5, 2013)
IT MUST BE CHRISTMAS (No.4 Country; No.62 BB200 8,209 copies; Nov. 5, 2016 | 9 week total 70,500 at Jan 3, 2017).

Young co-wrote every song on his new project, which features the current single/title track “Losing Sleep,” plus tracks including “Holiday,” “Hangin’ On,” “Where I Go When I Drink” and “Woke Up Like This. In addition to co-penning every track on the 10-song offer, Chris enlisted the help of top songwriters Chris DeStefano, Josh Hoge, Cary Barlowe, Corey Crowder, Liz Rose and more. Every album you make as an artist, you want to continue to grow,” Young explained. “And, you also want people to be in love with it. That’s such a difficult thing to balance, but I think there’s a little bit of something for everybody on this record.”

Promoting the album Country music hitmaker and newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, Chris Young, recently traveled to Los Angeles in between tour dates for several TV appearances following Friday’s release of his seventh studio album. Young performed the smash single and the album’s title track on last night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC). View the performance HERE and his post-show concert on the outdoor stage HERE. NFL Network also welcomed Chris to talk about the Dallas Cowboys’ season and his fantasy football picks on Fantasy Live and Twitter show #NFLBlitz – check out his interview HERE. Earlier in the week, Entertainment Tonight premiered an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at his induction into the Grand Ole Opry at et.tv/2gxFAwV.
 Fans and critics alike are praising Losing Sleep, with Entertainment Weekly calling it one of the week’s “must-listen music releases.” 
“ Losing Sleep finds Young revving up his rich country baritone like a well-oiled machine...from the album's opening notes, it's clear that this project is meant to stand apart from the rest of his catalog.” ~ Rolling Stone
 “Chris Young isn’t afraid to take chances, to go against the mold or to explore new territory, as an artist and as a songwriter…the end result was more freedom, both in song selection and sonically.” ~ The Boot
“His smooth baritone makes him one of the most distinctive voices in today’s country music and his memorable vocals captivate throughout the entirety of his new album…making for one of his most diverse releases.” ~ Sounds Like Nashville 
Cover Art: Photo credit: John Shearer

Critical reception for Chris Young’s Losing Sleep:
10 Tracks/ Time: 30:12 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

Allmusic (Rating: 4 STARS) He's sensitive and shaded, keeping his eye on the melody, but he leans into certain phrases so he can emphasize the song's overriding emotions. It's a subtle skill that suits this soft music, an album that doesn't make a big deal of its craft but succeeds precisely because of the work behind the scenes. Every element of Losing Sleep unfolds so easily, it feels inevitable, and it's so polished it can seem like nothing but mood music, but repeated plays reveal that this is more than atmosphere: the record endures because the songs work their way into the subconscious.

Roughstock (Rating: Positive) …There are usually a handful of “wow moments” on a Chris Young record and “Where I Go To Drink” is one such moment on the album. A powerful ballad full of heartache and loss and has some really clever lyrical turn of phrase that recalls cowriter Trent Tomlinson’s own work. Album closer “Blacked Out” is another “wow moment” for Chris Young. it’s another ballad, of course, but it definitely has lyrics which correlate
heartache and loss to various ways one can be “blacked out.” “Leave Me Wanting More” feels like another “wow moment” a moment which could work better than the other two on modern radio with a theme anyone deeply in love can relate to while also having a bit more tempo to the production and melody. Seven albums into his career, Chris Young has found a sonic groove with Losing Sleep.

Entertainment-focus (Rating: 4 STARS)....Highlights on the record include the urgent Hangin’ On, which has all the makings of a bit hit, the summery sway of Holiday, and the epic Trouble Looking, which is about falling for a beautiful girl even though you know it’s a recipe for disaster. Piano ballad Where I Go When I Drink is the standout track and it’s also a bit of a tear-jerker. Young sings about trying to get over a breakup and ditching alcohol so he doesn’t got stuck in an endless cycle of emotion. His voice sounds fantastic on the track and the simple musical arrangement is beautiful.

Your Life In A Song (Rating: Mixed) …The talent is there, the quality is there and the voice is there – ‘Where I go When I Drink’ is testament to the guy’s ability, but on ‘Losing Sleep’ he’s settled for just OK when he could have pushed himself for so much more.

Sounds Like Nashville  (Rating: Positive)...On Losing Sleep, Young continues to prove his staying power as a fan of traditional country by combining it with a modern day flair. At ease on the ballads and the upbeat tracks, no singing style is difficult for the vocalist as he effortlessly croons on the heartbreak numbers as well as the more rhythmic tracks. An album that embraces diversity, Chris Young’s Losing Sleep continues to push the singer musically while maintaining the sound fans know and love from the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Darius Rucker with his new set, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME (Capitol Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville), began at No.2 (No.8 Billboard 200) with 34,000 units in its opening week (30,072 in pure sales).



















Rucker banks his sixth Top Country Albums top 10 in as many appearances, a history that includes four leaders:
CHART HISTORY:
LEARN TO LIVE, the first country album for the Hootie & The Blowfish frontman, having debuted atop the chart dated Oct. 4, 2008, with 60,000 sold
Charleston, SC 1966 (No.1 Country; No.2 BB200; 100,745 copies sold; Oct. 30, 2010)
TRUE BELIEVERS (No.1 Country; No.2 BB200; 83,409 copies sold; June 8, 2013)
SOUTHERN STYLE (No.1 Country; No.7 BB200; 51,580 copies sold; April 18, 2015).
Home for the Holidays, Rucker’s 2014 seasonal set, peaked at No.3 with 28K sales (Debut No.7 Country, No.43 BB200 Debut 8,887 copies sold; in first 9 chart weeks sold 151,000 sales)

Rucker’s fifth studio album was produced by Ross Copperman and features current single “For The First Time” and lead single “If I Told You.” Other tracks include “Don’t,” “Hands On Me” and “Straight To Hell” (with Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley).
In the hours before releasing his fifth country album on Capitol Records Nashville, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME, Darius Rucker celebrated the latest milestone and bucket list moment in his groundbreaking, multi-genre music career from the iconic stage of the Apollo Theater in New York City. Performing hits spanning his country career – from his first country No. 1 single “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” to his most recent chart-topper off the new album, “If I Told You,” – to a few classic crowd-favorites from his career as lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker kept the crowd on their feet all night. 

PROMOTION:
Rucker launched When Was The Last Time with two sold-out shows that speak to the heart of who he is as an artist – making history at the famed Apollo Theater and a stadium-sized hometown, throw down in Charleston, S.C. at Volvo Car Stadium.
“I asked myself, ‘if I could play any song at the Apollo tonight, what would it be?’,” Rucker marveled midway into his two-hour set. “I knew I had to play this song tonight because I’ve always been a huge Patsy Cline fan, and for me, this song, ‘Another Night With You,’ is a true country song,” before launching into track 9-of-12 on the album that dropped overnight.
With appearances on CBS Sunday Morning (10/22; Link), Today Show (10/24), The View (10/25; >> YouTube), The Chew (10/27), Harry (11/1), Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and more, the 3-time GRAMMY winner’s new album was worth the wait. USA Today observes, “Rucker is a seriously underrated singer. Blessed with a rugged but warm timbre, he has a rare ability to invite listeners into a song rather than keep them at a distance through extraneous, show-offy display.”
The first single from When Was The Last Time, “If I Told You” has already achieved chart-topping success, and second single “For The First Time,” co-written by Rucker with Derek George and Travis Hill, is available digitally now and currently climbing the country charts. Rucker shared the behind-the-scenes of the music video exclusively with PEOPLE.com, here.

Rucker has always fearlessly followed his own musical muse while cultivating a huge following of people drawn to his uniquely seductive delivery. He makes it seem effortless, until you step back and take in the magnitude of the music and the far-reaching, lasting impact of songs that have become part of popular culture.

Critical reception for Darius Rucker’s When Was The Last Time:
12 Tracks/ Time: 43:16 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
 
USA Today (Rating: Positive) ...Blessed with a rugged but warm timbre, he has a rare ability to invite listeners into a song rather than keep them at a distance through extraneous, show-offy display. He knows what each word, each rise and fall in a tune, is intended to express. He draws consistently on that insight, especially when given material he can
interact with creatively......here’s plenty of this on When Was the Last Time (*** out of four), his fifth solo album. Almost every track begins with a four-bar instrumental intro, per Music Row practice. Several draw from the country tradition of building lyrics on an initial brief phrase. The opening number does so successfully, using its title, For the First Time, to weave a pattern of playful questions that return to the come-on: “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”

Roughstock (Rating: Positive) ..Deciding he needed a new challenge as an artist, Darius Rucker turned to award-winning songwriter Ross Copperman as his new production partner for When Was The Last Time, his fifth country album. ...The choice to work with Ross Copperman has brought a more contemporary “pop” sound to some of the tracks on When Was The Last Time but that’s not a bad thing here as it balances the best qualities of Darius Rucker’s music and the production on quieter moments here showcase why Darius Rucker has a string of hits to his credit. That’s a string of hits that should continue with When Was The Last Time.

Sounds Like Nashville (Rating: Very Positive) ..When it was announced that he would be teaming up with Ross Copperman, I was a bit alarmed. Copperman has made some great records over the years, but I thought that this album would be a little more progressive than what I loved so much about his last one.
After listening to the record a number of times, I’ve got to say that I can rest those fears, as Copperman has surrounded the singer with a production element that focuses on his strengths as never before, but at the same time, gives radio something fresh and exciting to play. Tracks such as the title cut, “Bring It On,” and “Don’t” all have a fun vibe to them that should bounce off the airwaves or the CD player / phone, and make you want to roll down the windows and sing along – especially the latter track.

Your Life In A Song (Rating: Very Positive) ..‘For the First Time’ is Darius Rucker’s crowning glory, it is the album he has been moving towards making for the whole of his career. There is no filler, no wasted songs, nothing done on the cheap or on the sly. Every song tells a story and every lyric urges the listener towards living life better, bigger, bolder. It is one of the most joyous, up-lifting pieces of music I have heard in a long time and I hope, come awards season, that people realise music can be both fun yet inspiring, up-beat yet meaningful. For the first time, Darius Rucker has put himself in contention for ‘album of the year’ accolades with an album that can’t fail to put a smile on your face and a song in your heart, which, given the nature of the world in 2017 is something that we all could do with more of. This is Country music at its best – playful, loud, emotional and truthfully real

The Turnpike Troubadours with A LONG WAY FROM YOUR HEART (Bossier City/Thirty Tigers) rounding out the Top Country Albums’ top three arrivals when the Oklahoma rootsrock and country outfit bounded in at No.3 (No.20 BB200; 18,000 units; 16,851 pure sales).

It’s the band’s third entry on the chart and second top 10. 2012’s GOODBYE 

NORMAL STREET debuted and peaked at No. 14 (No.57 BB200; selling 7,831 copies; May 16, 2012), and the act’s 2015 SELF-TITLED LP started and peaked at No.3 (No.17 BB2200 with 19,397 copies sold). 

LONG WAY FROM YOUR HEART also launches at No.1 on Americana/Folk Albums, where it’s the band’s first No.1.

If Turnpike Troubadours are playing in your town, you’ll know it. A block or two from the venue, you’ll see the crowds lining up. Get closer and you’ll start to hear the music -- rockin’ hard, lashed by burnin’ fiddle and guitar, maybe a little rough on the edges but with a deep-rooted soul that's impossible to resist.
And if you make it through the door, you’ll witness one of the best shows you'll ever see.
Audiences in their home state of Oklahoma and down in Texas have known this for years. It's no longer news when they draw 5,000-plus at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, sell out three nights in a row at Gruene Hall or turn several hundred away at the Legendary Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin.

Critical reception for Turnpike Troubadours’ A Long Way from Your Heart: (Bossier City Records)
11 Tracks/ Time: 39:36 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

American Songwriter (Rating: 4/5 STARS) ...Musically, the group coalesces around these songs with understated rootsy twang featuring just enough fiddle, accordion and especially Hank Early’s nimble pedal steel to bring out their inherent country. The music’s not raw enough to be considered outlaw but it’s melodic, sharply arranged and driven by passion.
That balance makes the Turnpike Troubadours both one of Americana’s preeminent purveyors and this album arguably their most accomplished set to date.

Lonestar Music Magazine - The opening track (and lead-off single) “The Housefire” is a good encapsulation of what makes the band (and frontman Evan Felker’s songwriting) something special: in under four minutes, there’s a poignantly sketched vignette that sums up the anxieties and ultimate triumphs of adulthood and parenting, served up over a muscular midtempo country grind buoyed by resilient fiddle licks. There’s also fact that the specifics of the women, guns, vehicles, etc. in this song and others have already sparked some online speculation about a shared Turnpike Troubadours universe of characters and incidents; it’s all kind of tongue-in-cheek, sure, but it does highlight Felker & co.’s knack for putting out the sort of songs that encourage and reward hanging on every resonant, finely detailed line.

Farce The Music.com (Rating: Positive) ...But there’s balance, as with all Troubadours’ records, best exemplified by “Pay No Rent,” a tender friend song reminiscent of “Down Here” a couple years back. No matter the tempo or time signature, nearly all of Felker’s songs have a gentle, human touch. If he can keep his personal life between the ditches, look for the Turnpike Troubadours to sustain this level of greatness for a good while. Because this album sounds like it’s almost too easy for these guys.

Former No.1 Kane Brown with his SELF-TITLED album fell 2-4 (#20-24 Billboard 200) selling 7,016 copies (down 14%; 47-week total 239,400)
Former No.1 Thomas Rhett with LIFE CHANGES (Valory/Big Machine Label Group) slipped 3-5 (#28-33 Billboard 200) selling 5,436 copies (down 9%; 7-week total 154,700).
Chris Stapleton with TRAVELLER (MERCURY/ UMGN) rose 7-6 (44-39 Billboard 200) selling 6,300 copies (up 12%; 130-week total 2,097,600). Stapleton’s From a Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) lifted 10-8 (70-54 BB200) selling 6,511 copies (up 16%; 25-week total 547,900).

Former No.1 Luke Combs with THIS ONE’S FOR YOU (River House/ Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) slipped 6-7 (#42-45 Billboard 200) selling 3,869 copies (down 3%; 21-week total 136,000).

Brett Young with self-titled debut (BMLG) fell 8-9 (#59-62 BB200) selling 2,663 copies (36-week total 149,500).

Former 1-week No.1 Shania Twain with NOW (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) fell 9-10 (#62-74 Billboard 200) selling 7,105 copies (down 12%; 4-week total 163,017).

Outside the Top 10
Florida Georgia Line with DIG YOUR ROOTS (BMLG) held at 11 (76-82 BB200)

Americana and country singer-songwriter Margo Price with ALL AMERICAN MADE (Third Man), opened at No.12 on Top Country Albums (No.89 BB200) and No.4 on Americana/Folk Albums (7,000 units) selling 6,849 copies.

The set follows Price’s rookie set, MIDWEST FARMER’S DAUGHTER, which started and peaked at No.10 on Top Country Albums and No.5 on Americana/Folk Albums (No.189 BB200; 4,002 copies sold; chart April 16, 2016).

Margo will hit the road in support of ALL AMERICAN MADE on her Nowhere Fast tour which kicks off January 20th, 2018 in Louisville, KY.
I’m so excited to share what the band and I have been working on this past year. My full-length album, ALL AMERICAN MADE, will be out October 20th, 2017 on Third Man Records and was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee at Sam Phillips Recording.
These songs (written both by myself and with my husband) were born while traveling America - between the highways and hotel rooms, in the crowded airports and all-night diners and occasionally, on the green grass of our Tennessee home
 The cover photograph was taken by my friend, Danielle Holbert, after I climbed into a field of buffalo on a farm outside of Cookeville, TN. - Margo

Critical reception for Margo Price - All American Made:
12 Tracks/ Time: 45:50 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

Country Music People (Rating: 4 STARS) This is still infinitely preferable to just about anything out there though
Mojo (Rating: 8/10) All American Made maintains Price's status as honky-tonk's most compelling new flame
New Musical Express (Rating: 8/10) By adding a decent dose of 2017 into her classic sound, Price creates something truly great.
MN Music News (Rating: 4 STARS)...Unafraid, unashamed and a dynamic musical force to be reckoned with, Margo Price is not attempting to reclaim country for country's sake, she is simply sharing her truth in the best way she knows how. This does not try to tick boxes for the audience's sake, but it will most certainly leave you in awe and wanting to see her live in an intimate setting before she becomes a stadium only artist.

www.shugarecords.com - A prolific writer with a knack for candid self-reflection, Price has never had to look too far for inspiration, and on ‘All American Made,’ she and her songwriting partner/ husband, Jeremy Ivey, continue to depict the trials of everyday life with un inching honesty, painting poetically plainspoken portraits of men and women just trying to get by. Highs and lows, long nights and hard days, wild women and cocaine cowboys, politics and sexism, it’s all in there, singularly filtered through Price’s wry, no-bullshit perspective. Throughout the album, her contemporary take on classic sounds is at once familiar and daring, an infectious blend of Nashville country, Memphis soul, and Texas twang that tips its cap to everyone from Waylon and Willie (who makes a guest appearance) to Loretta and Dolly, all while flipping a middle finger to the cookie-cutter pop that dominates modern country radio. Rich with swirling pedal steel, honky-tonk rhythms, and Price’s stop-you-in-your-tracks vocals, ‘All American Made’ is deeply reverent of tradition even as it challenges conventions, a nuanced exploration of conflicted emotions for our deeply conflicted times.

The Guardian (Rating: 4 STARS) - All American Made isn’t a celebratory title. As on her debut, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, Margo Price’s America is a country in which life is hard; specifically, it’s a country in which life is hard for women. She tackles the dry subjects of news reporting with humour and vim: the idea of a song about sex discrimination in wages doesn’t sound like fun on paper, until you notice Price’s sharp eye for a killer line – “We’re all the same in the eyes of God, and the eyes of rich white men” – and get to relish the lightness of touch in the Tex-Mex musical colouring. The equally scabrous Cocaine Cowboys rides along on a 1970s soft-rock groove, with Price excoriating the men “coming from New York, LA and Seattle, they don’t have to rope no cattle”. Willie Nelson duets on Learning to Lose, and the highest praise for Price is that he sounds very much like the second most talented person on another beguiling album.

Variety.com - On her second album, “All American Made,” the farmgirl-turned-honky-tonk-heroine doesn’t deviate too drastically from the well-studied traditionalism that brought her to the dance last year with the acclaimed “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter.” In the words of one
of her heroes, it’s music that’s lonesome, on’ry, and… well, probably more meditative than mean, but close enough....It’s patriotic, too, if you consider moderate social critiques patriotic. The titlhas a few bones to pick. An accordion lends a Tex-Mex flavor to one tune, but the wall she’s singing about isn’t the theoretical border one but the barrier that keeps women from earning equal wages......She’s an American girl, all right, and less of the protest singer that these isolated examples might suggest than a self-described loner looking for warmth in steel-guitar licks. Her songs, mostly co-written with her husband and bandmate, Jeremy Ivey, allude to marriage and motherhood without the usual country tropes of those being points of salvation....She’s an American girl, all right, and less of the protest singer that these isolated examples might suggest than a self-described loner looking for warmth in steel-guitar licks. Her songs, mostly co-written with her husband and bandmate, Jeremy Ivey, allude to marriage and motherhood without the usual country tropes of those being points of salvation.

Allmusic (Rating: 4 STARS) Price is particularly drawn to laid-back slow, going so far as to set "Cocaine Cowboys" to a lackadaisical funk beat. She hasn't abandoned country -- the album opens with the rockabilly of "Don't Say It," which is quickly countered by the barroom swing of "Weakness," while Willie Nelson later swings by to sing on "Learning to Lose" -- which means All American Made winds up drawing an expansive portrait of American roots music, one that touches on R&B, Tex-Mex, girl group pop, spacy indie rock, and even Glen Campbell's trippiest moments.

Uncut (Rating: 8/10):  But All American Made marks both a hardening and a deepening of Price’s sound. You could say it sounds more Memphis than Nashville. Certainly there are soul notes on it, and some Stax-like musical punctuation. Lester Snell, who arranged Shaft while in Isaac Hayes’ band, projects deep colours over the brisk, declamatory “A Little Pain”. And (sounding Memphis, but hailing from Nashville), the gospel quartet the McCrary Sisters add depth to the sultry “Do Right By Me”, a hardscrabble soul tune about a young woman with a cotton-picking farmer who has to leave her one-horse town to follow her dreams. “All I ever wanted was my own song to sing,” Price declaims

Consequence Of Sound (Rating: B) Margo Price – All American Made: Price delivers a wonderful new record with poise and self-possession But there’s still something unabashedly throwback about Price. After years of smoothing out her vocal timbre as a member of Buffalo Clover, the ‘70s rock-influenced group she was in with husband Jeremy Ivey, she’s let the twang take the lead. And much like the Nashville grinders who turned that Tennessee town into Music City U.S.A., she’s not letting this wave of buzz and momentum go to waste, hurrying out her second album, All American Made, only 19 months after her debut (last year’s Midwest Farmer’s Daughter). Mostly, it’s the sound of Price’s albums that have given her art an old-school air. She and Ivey (who co-wrote many of the songs on both LPs) are clearly steeped in the ‘60s and ‘70s outlaw country aesthetic, which brought elements of psychedelia, blues, and soul into tales of romantic and personal hardship....Otherwise, she and the band stick comfortably to their chosen lane, setting the folksy shuffle of “Heart of America” next to the Willie Mitchell-like groove of “Do Right by Me” and the doleful ballad that is “Loner”. She even pays a small tribute to her idols by inviting Nelson in to duet and drop a jazzy acoustic solo on “Learning to Lose”....The modern updates to this vintage sound go beyond the music. Price does give the kiss off to a useless beau on “Don’t Say It” and sings about finding her way in the world on “Do Right”, among other tried-and-true country tropes, but what’s striking about this album is her lyrical focus on larger societal ills.
Essential Tracks: “All American Made”, “Don’t Say It”, and “Do Right by Me”

Rollingstone - Margo Price Talks Politics, Willie Nelson Collaboration on Confident New LP
"Our voices are all we have right now, and it's important to use them," says performer of writing for 'All American Made'
I think it's important to voice your opinion and, regardless of people who tell me otherwise, I think that's what makes our country beautiful ... our freedom to express our thoughts and views. Our voices are all we have right now, and it's important to use them."

Jon Pardi with CALIFORNIA SUNRISE fell 12-14 (#88-101 BB200) selling 1,367 1,578 copies (70-week total 190,400).
Sam Hunt with MONTEVALLO (MCA Nashville | UMGN) fell 10-13 (#86-92 BB200).

In his seventh frame Dustin Lynch with CURRENT MOOD (Broken Bow/Broken Bow Music Group) fell 14-16 (#106-119 Billboard 200) selling 1,793 copies (down 16%; 7-week total 47,200).

In her second week Carly Pearce with EVERY LITTLE THING (Big Machine | BMLG) fell 4-17 (#32-124 Billboard 200) selling 3,039 copies in pure sales (down 69%; 2-week total 12,731). It was the 63rd bestselling album in America this chart frame

The legendary Willie Nelson with the 12 track Willie and the Boys: Willie’s Stash, Vol. 2 (Legacy; Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) debuted at No.19 (#134 BB200; 6,000units; 5307 copies sold). 
The set, a collaboration among Nelson and sons Lukas and Micah, is the second of the Willie’s Stash series of archival recordings. They perform a selection of well-loved American country music standards and classics, including seven penned by the immortal Hank Williams Sr.
The first in the series, 2014’s December Day: Willie’s Stash, Vol. 1, with sister Bobbie Nelson, debuted and peaked at No. 26.
The Willie's Stash series will present a variety of archival releases, each personally curated by Willie Nelson, culled from decades of recording and touring, providing unique perspectives on one of America's most vital musical forces.

Outside the Top 25

In their second chart frames last week’s No.1 Jessie James Decker with SOUTHERN GIRL CITY LIGHTS (Epic) fell 1-29 selling 2,946 copies (down 83%, fell of top BB200; No.65 Top Album Sales; 2-week total 20,673).

Russell Dickerson with his first full-length, YOURS (Triple Tigers/ Sony Music Entertainment) fell 5-30  falling off the Billboard Top 200 from #39 selling around 800 copies (down 90%; 2-week total 8,400).

FALLING SHORT of Top 50:
On the Country Album Sales list (pure sales; old methodology)

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn with their 11-track set ECHO IN THE VALLEY (New Rounder; Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.22 on Country Album Sales (No1 Bluegrass Album Chart dated Nov 11 ;No.128 Top Album sales) selling 1,787 copies.
In 2017, Washburn and her husband collaborated with the dance theater troupe Pilobus for an original work commissioned by the American Dance Theater entitled Echo in the Valley. The title, as well as some of the material, adorned Washburn's and Fleck's second duo offering. The album features the pair performing on seven different banjos "ranging from a ukulele to an upright bass banjo." With an emphasis on three-finger and clawhammer styles, the arrangements reflect the necessity of being performed live. Outside of a few adaptations of traditional tunes, including Clarence Ashley's "My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains" (transformed into a blues here) and a studio recording of their oft-played live medley "Sally in the Garden"/"Molly Put the Kettle On," the remainder of the material was co-written by Washburn and Fleck and reflects various narrative points of view and historical and topical concerns.

Tyminski with the 13 track SOUTHERN GOTHIC (Mercury/ Decca (UMO); Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.23 (No.141 Top Album Sales) selling 1,691 copies.
Dan Tyminski, a 14-time Grammy winner and member of Alison Krauss’ Union Station, cowrote all 13 tracks to pitch to other artists, but decided to record them himself. He described the album, produced by Jesse Frasure, as “holding up a mirror to society without judgment or opinions.”
Tyminski appeared on CBS-TV's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday night (Oct 23). Watch "Southern Gothichere.

Mike Ryan with his 7 track Country/Pop set BLINK YOU'LL MISS IT (Rock & Soul; Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com)
Made a debut at No.31

Charlie Daniels with the 14 track Walmart exclusive MEMORIES, MEMOIRS AND MILES: Songs of a Lifetime made a debut at No.46.
The album is the musical companion to his forthcoming memoir ‘Never Look At The Empty Seats’ which will be available everywhere books are sold on October 24 (Amazon UK Amazon.com)
The 12-track project features two bonus tracks, “Long Haired Country Boy” and “Still In Saigon,” and is dedicated to the man and friend who taught him his first guitar chord, Russell Palmer.

Also of note
Dori Freeman with her 10 track album LETTERS NEVER READ (MRI; Amazon UK - Amazon.com) made a debut at No.9 on the Bluegrass Album Chart
Critical reception:
NPR - Freeman's new album, Letters Never Read — the second she's recorded with Teddy Thompson producing — is even more fetching in its finessing of contradictions than its
predecessor. "Lovers On The Run" is one of the album's most musically chipper moments — gently jaunty phrasing over a marching groove — but it depicts an endless loop of infatuation and abandonment. The brisk, tuneful "Just Say It Now" advocates for honesty about one-sided affection. Hers is a bruised sort of romanticism, all wispy, beguiling melodies, finessed arrangements and lyrics that sway between harboring hope for lasting sweetness and bracing for disappointment.

American Songwriter (Rating: 3.5/ 5 STARS) ..This set is again produced by Teddy Thompson, who notably helmed her previous one, but now the budget seems slightly bigger. Guests such as Aoife O’Donovan, guitarist Neil Casal and Kacy & Clayton speak to Freeman’s newfound respect among her Americana peers. Thompson calls in legendary dad Richard to contribute occasional guitar. Freeman’s sympathetic cover of his 1974 UK folk rocker “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” takes it to the mountains with fiddles adding homespun sweetness.
Love songs, even ones likely about unrequited feelings such as the lovely opening “If I Could Make You My Own” (“I would give you the blood from my veins/ If I could make you my own”) and the disquieting ballad “Cold Waves” (“There’s something living in and weighing down my lungs/ There’s something bitter and it’s tying up my tongue”), speak to uncertainty about life and romance.
Freeman shifts into unexpected subtle jazz noir complete with vibes on “Turtle Dove” and keeps the instrumentation stripped down to jaunty militaristic skeletal drums on a surprising cover of Jim Reeves’ “Yonder Comes a Sucker,” substantially changing the arrangement.

Year-To-Date Albums
16,182,000 (Physical sales 10,809,000 (down -14.3%) + Digital sales 5,372,000 (down -19.0%) which is 16.0% down at the same point in 2016 (19,253,000 sales) 

Year-To-Date Digital Tracks

55,753,000 down 23.7% at the same point in 2016 (73,094,000)

Billboard Hot Country Songs (Chart issue week of November 11, 2017)
On Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart - which blends:
a) All-format airplay, as monitored by BDS
b) Sales, as tracked by Nielsen SoundScan and
c) Streaming, (tracked by Nielsen BDS from such services as Spotify, Muve, Slacker, Rhapsody, Rdio and Xbox Music, among others) according to BDS it results in:

Kane Brown with What Ifs” featuring Lauren Alaina (Zone 4/RCA Nashville) topped the chart for a fourth week in its 46th frame. It also continued to head Country Streaming Songs (dated Nov 11, 2017).

Brett Young earned his third top 10 as “Like I Loved You” (BMLG Records) as it pushed 13-9. It rolled 14% to 22.3 million impressions and lifted 15-14 on Country Airplay

Hot County Songs
** No.1 (4 weeks) ** “What Ifs” Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina
** Airplay Gainer” No.7 “Every Little Thing” Carly Pearce
** Digital Gainer ** No.8 “Losing Sleep” Chris Young
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.26 “Millionaire” Chris Stapleton
Debut No.28 “Miss Me More” Kelsea Ballerini
** Streaming Gainer ** No.35 “Up Down” Morgan Wallen feat. Florida Georgia Line
Debut No.42 “For The First Time” Darius Rucker
Debut No.47 “I Won't Back Down” (Live From Saturday Night Live) Jason Aldean

Billboard Country Airplay (Chart issue week of November 11, 2017)

Luke Combs with When It Rains It Pours” (River House/Columbia Nashville) held at No.1 for a second week on Country Airplay.

Country Airplay
*** No.1 (2 weeks)/ Most Increased Audience *** "When it Rains It Pours” Luke Combs 47.642 million audience (+4.191 million) / 8,479 radio plays (+607) / +4.191 million audience gain
** Most Added ** No.36 “The Rest Of Our Life” Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.53 “I’d Be Jealous Too” Dustin Lynch
Debut No.59 “Wild As You” Cody Johnson
Debut No.60 “Kiss Somebody” Morgan Evans

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart 
(Chart issue week of November 11, 2017)

Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina with “What If’s” rose 2-1 (#18-19 Digital Songs) to lead the chart for a third non-consecutive week.
It was 18 places behind "Gorgeous," the third song released so far from Taylor Swift's album Reputation, due Nov. 10, blasted in at No.1 on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart (dated Nov. 11), with 68,000 downloads sold in the tracking week ending Oct. 26, according to Nielsen Music.
The song soars in at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, which blends streaming, airplay and sales data, as, powered by its official audio clip, it also bows at No. 16 on the Streaming Songs chart with 16.9 million U.S. streams. (While not a radio focus single, it additionally drew 3.6 million in all-format airplay audience in the tracking week.)
With the chart-topping start of "Gorgeous" on Digital Song Sales, Swift ties Rihanna for the most No.1s in the list's history: 14 each. Swift also extends her record for the most No. 1 debuts to 13.

Chris Stapleton with his new pre-order track “Millionaire” made a debut at No.2 (#20 Digital Songs)
LANco with “Greatest Love Story” (Arista Nashville) held at No.3 (#24-22 Digital Songs).
Kelsea Ballerini with her latest album pre-grat track “Miss Me More” made a debut at No.4 (#26 Digital Songs)
Luke Combs with “When It Rains It Pours” (River House | Columbia Nashville) fell 4-5 (#28-33 Digital Songs).

Sam Hunt with his 31 non-consecutive week No1 “Body Like a Back Road” (MCA Nashville) held at No.6 (#35 Digital Songs)
Thomas Rhett with “Unforgettable” (Valory) fell 5-7 (#32-39 Digital Songs).
Previous week’s No.1 Carly Pearce with Every Little Thing (Big Machine/Big Machine Label Group), fell 1-8 (15-40 Digital Songs).
Walker Hayes with “You Broke Up With Me“ (Monument) slipped 8-9 (#44 Digital Songs).
Brett Young with “Like I Loved You“ (BMLG) held at No.10 (#49-48 Digital Songs).

Outside the Top 10
Blake Shelton with “I'll Name The Dogs” (Warner Bros) fell 7-11 (#43-50 Digital Songs).
Russell Dickerson with “Yours” (Triple Tigers) fell 9-14..

Jason Aldean, who was onstage at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 1 in Las Vegas when a gunman opened fire, began NBC’s Saturday Night Live on Oct. 7 with his cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” as a tribute to victims (and Petty, who died Oct 2). After its Oct. 20 release, it debuted on Country Digital Song Sales at No.15 (8,000 sold). All proceeds will benefit victims of the shooting.
Devin Dawson with “All On Me” made a debut at No.23

Country Aircheck MEDIABASE Chart

30 Oct 2017

Luke Combs Is #1 With 'When It Rains It Pours'
Congrats to Luke Combs, Steve Hodges, Shane Allen and the Columbia and River House teams on securing this week’s No.1 with “When It Rains It Pours” The song is Combs’ second chart-topper from his debut album THIS ONE’S FOR YOU. Songwriters are Ray Fulcher, Jordan Walker and Combs. This marks Combs' second consecutive #1, following the success of his debut single, "Hurricane," which spent two weeks at the top (May 22).



















“When It Rains It Pours” (River House/Columbia) logged 9,302 radio spins (+967) and 61.308 million audience impressions (+6.67 million) with 27635 Total Points (+2982) from 159 tracking stations for the tracking week October 22 to October 28, 2017 and published chart October 30th 2017.

Brad Paisley Is Most-Added With 'Heaven South'
Kudos to Arista’s Josh Easler and team on landing 28 adds for Brad Paisley’s Heaven South”. The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.

Mediabase Adds (Selective)

Artist/Title (Label) TW Total Historic Adds
BRAD PAISLEY/Heaven South (Arista)  28         31
JON PARDI/She Ain't In It (Capitol)        17         69
OLD DOMINION/Written In The Sand (RCA)       16         124
SHANIA TWAIN/We Got Something They Don't (Mercury)           15         22
CHRIS LANE f/T. KELLY/Take Back Home Girl (Big Loud)          14         94
DUSTIN LYNCH/I'd Be Jealous Too (Broken Bow)          14         56
JAMES BARKER BAND/Chills (UMGC/New Revolution)  11         23
MIDLAND/Make A Little (Big Machine)    10         130
ASHLEY MCBRYDE/A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega (Atlantic/WAR)         9          36
MORGAN EVANS/Kiss Somebody (Warner Bros./WEA) 8          34
RUNAWAY JUNE/Wild West (Wheelhouse)         4          54
WALKER HAYES/You Broke Up With Me (Monument/Arista)       4          150
DANIELLE BRADBERY/Sway (BMLGR) 3          72
KELSEA BALLERINI/Legends (Black River)        3          154
LAUREN ALAINA/Doin' Fine (19/Interscope/Mercury)      2          108
CAM/Diane (Arista)        1          1
LINDSAY ELL/Waiting On You (Stoney Creek)    1          80
STEPHANIE QUAYLE/Selfish (Rebel Engine)     1          6

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly Issue 574 - Oct 30, 2017 [PDF File] Magazine View
For the very latest up to the minute Mediabase Chart (Past 7 Days) go here - www.mediabase.com

Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country concerts)

Rank Artist: #32
Event Venue City/State: Jimmy Buffett XFINITY Center Mansfield, Mass.
Dates: Aug. 19, 2017 Gross Sales: $1,539,075 Attend: 19,850/ 19,876
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 (26 unsold tickets) Prices: $130, $30
Promoters: Live Nation

Rank Artist: #35
Event Venue City/State: All In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers' Farewell Concert Celebration with Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Alison Krauss, The Judds & others      Bridgestone Arena Nashville, Tenn.
Dates: Oct. 25, 2017 Gross Sales: $1,317,867 Attend: 15,530/ 15,530
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $299.50, $49.50
Promoters: Outback Concerts

Rank Artist: #128
Event Venue City/State: Lady Antebellum, Brett Young, Kelsea Ballerini Bridgestone Arena Nashville, Tenn.
Dates: Sept. 9, 2017 Gross Sales: $486,004 Attend: 11,073/ 11,073
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices: $65.50, $35
Promoters: Live Nation

Rank Artist: #173
Event Venue City/State: Cody Jinks, Whitey Morgan Victory Theatre Evansville, Ind.
Dates: Oct. 1, 2017 Gross Sales: $31,285 Attend: 685/ 1,759
Shows/ Sellouts: 1/0 (1,074 unsold tickets) Prices: $75, $20
Promoters: AEG Live
Latest Billboard Boxscore Chart


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