Country Billboard Chart News November 20, 2013

Country Billboard Chart News November 20, 2013

In Brief:  Billboard Country Charts

Country Album Chart ** No.1 (3 weeks) ** Robertsons’ Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas

Hot Country Songs ** No.1 (2 weeks) **  “We Were Us”  Keith Urban and Miranda

Country Airplay **  No.1 (3 weeks) ** "Mine Would Be You" Blake Shelton 

Country Digital Songs ** No.1 ** (1 week)  “Stay” Florida Georgia Line

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Chart News

Lady Gaga debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (BB200) with her new set, "ARTPOP." It sold 258,201 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the second No. 1 set for Gaga, who also debuted at No. 1 with her last album, 2011's "Born This Way." That set bowed with 1.1 million sold in its first week (a number amplified by a temporary 99 cent sale deal by Amazon MP3). The arrival of "ARTPOP" is the third-largest sales week for a woman in 2013. It follows Katy Perry's "PRISM" (286,000 with its #1 debut) and Miley Cyrus' "Bangerz" (270,000 in its #1 bow). Where are all of Lady Gaga's little monsters? Gaga's third full-length album, ARTPOP, was a steep drop from her second, Born This Way, which sold 1,108,000 in its first week in May 2011.

The Robertsons' "Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas" dropped back one slot 3-4 in its third week with 66,000 sales (down 9%). 

It holds No.1 on Billboard Top Country Albums for the third week. It's also #1 on Top Christmas Albums for the third week. Duck The Halls is vying to become the first country album to emerge as the year's top holiday seller since Garth Brooks' Beyond The Season in 1992.

Kelly Clarkson's Christmas album "Wrapped in Red" stays steady at No. 6 on the BB200 with 42,000 (down just 2%).

Kellie Pickler opened at No.19 on the BB200 and at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with her fourth studio album, THE WOMAN I AM (Black River), selling 16,295 copies. 

The lovely 16th season “Dancing With The Stars” champ and fifth-season finalist on Fox’s “American Idol” had better opening ranks and heftier sales with her first three albums:

SMALL TOWN GIRL, debuted at No.1 with 79,000 seven years ago (900,000 sold to date). In 2008, Pickler’s self-titled second  set made a bow at the summit with 43,000 (and has sold 470,000). On Feb 1, 2012 her last album 100 PROOF gave her a third straight top 10 when that landed at No.7 on Billboard 200 (No.2 Country) with sales of 27,448 copies.

This new #19 BB200 debut is her lowest to date but its not bad for an artist that’s strangely struggling to score any sort of radio airplay with the male dominated songs.

The second single from Pickler’s new album, “Little Bit Gypsy,” debuts at No. 49 on the Hot Country Songs chart, while ranking at No. 51 in its 10th week on the Nielsen BDS-driven Country Airplay chart. The album’s lead single, and hot >> video, “Someone Somewhere Tonight,” ( with DWTS partner Derek Hough as her co-star) peaked at No.49 on Country Airplay back in August.

Promoting the album Kellie made several TV appearances performing on both The Ellen DeGeneres Show and CBS's Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on Wednesday, November 13. Kellie has also announced plans to perform on a float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade later this month on NBC.

Kellie isn't saying never when it comes to using her dancing skills in concert. "I wanted to get out there and sing my song," Kellie says, "Maybe down the road, if I'm able to build a bigger production and want to, then maybe I would venture into that."

As for her new album, Kellie describes it as "Kellie Country," saying, "[It] may be the most 'me' album that I've created yet."

Critical reception for “The Woman I Am":

12 Tracks/ Time: 41:20 CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

The Woman I Am has already received praise from music critics, including:

“Continuing to mature into a top-class country singer, [Pickler]…has grown from a competent interpreter of others' songs into an artist with her own vision and style. As a songwriter and vocalist, she's held onto the charm of her back-country personality while growing into a confident stylist …Add Pickler's name to the list of women making outstanding albums in a year where men dominate country radio and the media.” – Michael McCall, Associated Press

“Too bad Pickler's best known for her personality, because her albums are as much fun as hearing her talk. (Three stars)” – Brian Mansfield, USA Today

Allmusic (Rating: 3.5 STARS) By all rights, Kellie Pickler's third album 100 Proof should've been a blockbuster. A savvy update of classic country in the Tammy Wynette tradition, the 2012 record confirmed that Pickler could be a hell of a country singer, but the record stalled out on the charts, moving just a handful of copies -- a significant decline from 2008's

eponymous album, which almost went gold. BNA Records left her behind and she signed to the independent Black River Entertainment....At times, the record's indie roots are fairly apparent -- the songs are modest, the production crisp but just short of gleaming -- and the slight shift from neo-traditional to chipper country-pop suggests a tonal change... It might lack a big strong hook -- there is no song to pull in a skeptic -- but the album has a nice, gentle sway and Pickler has expertly modulated her diva moves so she's now a skillful country singer. It's not an album that makes a career, but rather one that helps a career be built.

GAC Kellie stays the course with 12 songs ranging from Honky Tonk to heartbreaking while consistently celebrating strong women...With a smooth Carolina drawl, Kellie delivers line after line on The Woman I Am with palpable feeling and rich emotion.... Just because the album is rooted in traditional concepts doesn’t mean there aren’t contemporary moments as well. The daydreaming “Closer To Nowhere” strikes a radio-friendly tone with slick electric guitars and the spellbinding “Where Did Your Love Go” moves fluidly with a winding vocal and one of project’s best performances. Kellie gives an inspired performance on The Woman I Am as she continues to prove herself as one of the best traditional-based singers in the genre.

Rolling Stone (Rating: 3.5 STARS) After two albums that were as bland as Simon Cowell's wardrobe, Kellie Pickler turned around her career by following the bad-girl path of fellow reality-show alumna Miranda Lambert, which continues on The Woman I Am.

Country Weekly (Rating: A) If you loved Kellie Pickler’s last album, 100 Proof, which was filled with traditional country music themes and arrangements, get ready for Chapter 2. With The Woman I Am, Kellie has made a natural evolution while managing to stay true to those things that are important to her...It’s anybody’s guess as to why Kellie Pickler isn’t one of the biggest stars in the format. However, with her commitment to the integrity of her music and sound, she’s definitely a female force to be reckoned with.

Roughstock (Rating: 4.5 STARS) .....The music here is good enough for, if not better than, most of what radio is playing so lets hope they will finally take her seriously as an artist and give her a string of successful hits. Kellie, The Woman I Am and her label Black River Entertainment deserve as much. One of 2013’s best.

Rolling Stone: Kellie Pickler Branches Out on New Album 'The Woman I Am'

Lady Antebellum’s GOLDEN moved up 20 places to No.6 on the Country chart courtesy of the Deluxe album’s new hits like “Compass” and “And The Radio Played”.

For Lady A, Golden Deluxe serves a slightly different purpose. The support schedule for Golden was thrown off by Hillary Scott’s pregnancy. The band delayed its tour and found itself with unexpected time on its hands. Some of that time was filled by recording new material, including the current single, “Compass.” “When we wrote the songs we did over the summer during my maternity leave, we just wanted to give our fans a pulse of where we are as a band and repackage it to put out immediately,” Scott says. “The great thing about releasing a deluxe edition is it allows fans to hear where we are right at this exact moment musically,” band mate Dave Haywood adds. “I think fans love hearing the latest thing you’re working on.”

As current single “Compass” makes its way up the Country Airplay charts, Hillary Scott can’t help but think of her new daughter, Eisele.

“I think what struck me so much with this song is the lyrics,” she said. “It’s really a positive message. It made me think of my daughter. It’s so fresh me being a mother now and having her and wanting her – as she grows up – to dream big and to go after those dreams but to always know she’ll never be alone. She’s got a soft place to fall at home.”

The song is also about truly listening to your inner voice. “It’s also an empowering song,” Hillary said. “It’s following your heart. Your heart is your compass, and if you’re following it, you’re always going to be happy because you’re gonna be doing what you’re meant to do.”

On new track ‘And the Radio Played’ Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott namecheck over a dozen radio hits (>> Lyric Video) from the last 30 years during this mid-tempo love ballad, but the real spark comes from the story told in between:

“Bobby was the first boy that I ever kissed / I can still taste the root beer on his lips / We turned up the stereo from that bedroom / Climbed through the window and make out on the roof,” Scott sings during the second verse.

The slow tempo ‘Life as We Know It’ is genuinely a new song and standard Lady A material and the deluxe version closes with a piano-heavy version of International smash hit “Need You Now’’

So there’s NOT six new tracks, there’s three. Two are “iTunes Live Session Performance” versions of older singles ‘I Run To You’ , ‘I Need You Now’ as well as a “Backstage Acoustic Session” version of ‘Just A Kiss’.

The Deluxe version is available on Amazon UK – Amazon.com and iTunes

New on the BB200 at No.147 and gaining a No.25 Country album slot Elvis Presley’s “Merry Christmas...Love, Elvis” which was released on Aug 1, 2013 (12 Tracks/ Time: 34:21 Amazon) The King of Rock & Roll loved the holiday season, and recorded a number of Christmas-themed tunes during his years in the spotlight. Merry Christmas...Love, Elvis collects 12 songs of the season from Presley's best-loved Yuletide releases from the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. Selections include "Blue Christmas," "Santa Claus Is Back in Town," "Merry Christmas Baby," "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," and eight others.

Country album sales (including Digital sales) this week were 676,000; down 25% compared to 901,000 this week last year due to the big selling late October albums from Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean. Album sales so far in 2013 are down 8.5% year-over year to date.

Billboard Top 200 / Country Album Placings

(Issue dated Chart week of November 30, 2013)

(Country Album positions #1 - #25)

(TW) This Week, (LW) Last Week, Co (Country Album Chart placing / Movement)

Billboard Catalog Album Charts

New on the chart at No.38 is FOUR THE RECORD from Miranda Lambert which has migrated from the country chart.

Despite just eight weeks in the Top 40, this album stuck around the Billboard 200 for an even 100 weeks, just returning to the chart this week. Her last two Catalog albums, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and "Revolution", both hit the Catalog top ten.

Note: Top Pop Catalog Albums is a fifty-position weekly albums chart regardless of genre. Billboard defines a catalog title as one that is more than eighteen months old and that has fallen below position 100 on the Billboard 200. Albums meeting these criteria are removed from the Billboard Current Albums ranking and begin a new chart run on Top Pop Catalog Albums.

The Billboard Current Albums is equivalent to the Billboard 200, with the catalog titles removed.

Top Pop Catalog Albums also contains reissues of older albums. The only exception to the "eighteen months old" rule pertains to holiday releases (for example, Christmas albums). A "holiday" release is eligible for the Billboard 200 only during its initial year of release. 

For example:

Blake Shelton’s 2012 Christmas album CHEERS, IT'S CHRISTMAS is at No.5 on the Catalog chart in its second week. It also stands at No.44 on the Billboard 200 but does not now exist on Billboard Country album chart.

Cheers, It's Christmas has had 2 Catalog weeks; it has logged 15 weeks on the BB200 and its peak while on BB200 as a Catalog album is its position this week at #44. It had 13 weeks on the BB200, its peak was #8, and was released in 2012.

The chart also includes 2 other best selling country Christmas albums from last year:

At No.8 is “On This Winter's Night” from Lady Antebellum (2 week on the chart) and at No.24 “Christmas With Scotty McCreery” by Scotty McCreery (2 weeks on the chart)  

Billboard Holiday Albums (Country related interest)

#1 Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas The Robertsons

#2 Wrapped In Red - Kelly Clarkson

#9 Cheers, It's Christmas - Blake Shelton

#28The King's Gift: A Celtic Christmas Collection - Trace Adkins

Billboard Holiday Digital Songs  (Country related interest)

#2  Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

#4  Where Are You Christmas? - Faith Hill

#11 Silent Night - Kelly Clarkson Featuring Reba McEntire & Trisha Yearwood

#13 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Kelly Clarkson

#21 Underneath The Tree - Kelly Clarkson

#24 Last Christmas - Taylor Swift

#36 Baby It's Cold Outside - Kelly Clarkson featuring Ronnie Dunn

#42 Mary, Did You Know? - Kenny Rogers With Wynonna

#44 Hard Candy Christmas - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton

#46 Christmas In Dixie - Alabama

Billboard Music Video Sales

Jason Aldean's Night Train To Georgia moved 3-2 on Top Music Videos in its fifth week. After 14 weeks “The Blown Away Tour: Live” from Carrie Underwood is at #9. Lady Antebellum’s “On This Winter's Night” moved 11-10 as Joey + Rory’s “Inspired: Songs Of Faith & Family” made a 16-12 in its 5th chart week.

Top 25 Hot Country Songs (week of November 30, 2013)

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:

Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert with “We Were Us” (Hit Red/Capitol Nashville/RCA Nashville) logged a second week at No. 1 and secured Streaming Gainer honors (596,000 domestic streams, up 64%).

Up 22-18, Cole Swindell drew Digital Gainer applause with “Chillin’ It” (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) making a 25-12 climb on Country Digital Songs (25,000 downloads sold, up 21%).

Luke Bryan took the weeks Airplay Gainer honour despite a 20-22 retreat. “Drink A Beer”  drew the biggest audience surge on Country Airplay (13 million audience impressions, up 153%).

Top 25 Hot Country Songs:

Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert with “We Were Us” stays at the Top The Chart!  

Luke Bryan with former #1 “That’s My Kind Of Night” is up one, #3- #2 p

Blake Shelton with “Mine Would Be You” is down one, #2 - #3 q

Florida Georgia Line with “Stay” is up four, #7 - #4 p

Taylor Swift with “Red” is down one slot, #4 - #5 q

Joe Nichols with “Sunny And 75” is up four, #10 - #6 p

Thomas Rhett with “It Goes Like This” is down one, #6 - #7 q

Tim McGraw with “Southern Girl” is down three, #5 - #8 q

Eli Young Band with “Drunk Last Night” is up four, #13 - #9 p

Parmalee with “Carolina” jumps up five, #15 - #10 p

Cassadee Pope with “Wasting All These Tears” stays at #11

David Nail with “Whatever She’s Got” is up six, #18 - #12 p

Chris Young  with “Aw Naw” drops four slots, #9 - #13 q

The Band Perry with “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” is up two, #16 - #14 p

Jason Aldean with “Night Train” is down one, #14 - #15 q

Zac Brown Band with “Sweet Annie” is up three, #19 - #16 p

Eric Church with “The Outsiders" falls, #8 - #17 q

Cole Swindell with “Chillin’ It” is up four, #22 - #18 p

Florida Georgia Line with “Round Here” is down two, #17 - #19 q

Darius Rucker with “Radio” is up three, #23 - #20 p

Eric Paslay with “Friday Night” stays at #21

Luke Bryan with “Drink A Beer” is down two, #20 - #22 q

Lady Antebellum with “Compass” plummets, #12 - #23  q

Jake Owen with “Days Of Gold” is up one, #25 - #24 p

Hunter Hayes feat. Jason Mraz with “Everybody's Got Somebody But Me", #26 - #25 p

Hot Country Songs

** No.1 (2 weeks) **  “We Were Us” Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert

** Digital Gainer ** No.18 “Chillin’ It” Cole Swindell

** Airplay Gainer **  No.22  “Drink A Beer” Luke Bryan

** Hot Shot Debut ** No.44  “Beachin’” Jake Owen

Debut No.49 “Little Bit Gypsy” Kellie Pickler

Billboard Country Airplay Chart Week of November 30, 2013

Blake Shelton with “Mine Would Be You” (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) posted a third week third straight week atop Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, marking the fifth single this year to hold that long at the summit.

This week “Mine” recorded 46.292 million audience impressions (-1.040) and received 6,941 radio plays (-239)

Only two songs logged three weeks at No.1 all year in 2012, and no song has held more than three weeks since Zac Brown Band’s “Keep Me in Mind” spent the final two weeks of 2011 and the first two weeks of 2011 at the summit. The longest chart-topping runs in 2012 were Jason Aldean’s “Take a Little Ride” in October and Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” in December.

The first four songs to hold for three weeks during 2013:

Zac Brown Band’s “Goodbye in Her Eyes” (January), Tim McGraw’s “One of Those Nights” (March), Luke Bryan’s “Crash My Party” (July) and Thomas Rhett’s “It Goes Like This” (October/November). With criticism over lightweight lyrics and rock production during 2013, all five of these three-week leaders are the sort of mid-tempo songs that the format has long relied upon to strike tempo balance.

The Band Perry, claimed its seventh straight Country Airplay Top10 with “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” (Republic Nashville), which made a 11-9 hop. Counting only promoted singles, that’s the longest current streak of top 10s among duos/groups on the chart. Florida Georgia Line has the second-longest active streak with three and closing in fast on a fourth as “Stay” advanced 14-12. The Band Perry’s Top 10 songs began with “If I Die Young,” which topped the Dec.11, 2010, chart, and includes “You Lie”

(No.2 peak, July 2011), “All Your Life” (two weeks at No.1, February 2012), “Postcard From Paris” (No.6 peak, August 2012), “Better Dig Two” (two weeks at No.1 in February) and “DONE.” (No.1, August).

Luke Bryan’s “Drink a Beer” (Capitol Nashville) make a fast trip to the top 20, flying 34-20 in its third chart week. He took home “Most Increased Audience” and “Most Added” honours logging 13.006 million audience impressions (up 7.871 million) and received 2,078 radio plays (+1329) thanks to 54 new radio commitments (ADDS)

As Billboard’s 2013 chart year comes to a close, this week’s charts are the final weekly lists in the current chart year.

The 2014 Billboard chart year begins with next week’s charts (Nov.18-24 tracking week).

Country Airplay

*** No. 1 (3 weeks)*** "Mine Would Be You" Blake Shelton

** Most Increased Audience/Breaker/Most Added **  No. 20 "Drink a Beer" Luke Bryan

** Hot Debut **  No. 55 "Get Me Some Of That" Thomas Rhett

Debut No. 57 "Ready Set Roll" Chase Rice

Billboard Country Digital Singles Chart Week of November 30, 2013

Florida Georgia Line secured its second leader on Billboard Country Digital Songs with “Stay” (Republic Nashville), selling another 51,000 downloads and flew 6-1. On Hot Country Songs, it improved 7-4 in its ninth chart week.

Holding at #2 for a second week in a row is the Keith Urban/Miranda Lambert hit song  “We Were Us” with sales down 35% reflecting the CMA Awards retail boost has faded. The only track to buck the trend was Cole Swindell’s breakout hit “Chillin’ It” making a 25-12 leap (sales up 16%)

David Nail with “Whatever She’s Got” jumped into the top 10 with a 12-6 climb.

Thomas Rhett’s “It Goes Like This” at #11 sold another 25,000 copies to sail past the Platinum mark (1-million)

Outside the Top 30 Jake Owen’s “Beachin’” made a debut at #37 with 10,000 copies sold.

Bonus tracks from the new Lady Antebellum GOLDEN Deluxe set saw “Life As We Know It” make a bow at #64 and “And The Radio Played” at #69 (5,000+ sales).

Jessie James Decker’s “I Do” fell off both the Top 30 and Top 50.

Top 30 Digital Singles in Country Music (published November 20, 2013)

(LW) Last Week  (TW) This Week 

Country Aircheck/ Mediabase chart

Blake Shelton with “Mine Would Be You” remained at the top of the Country Aircheck/ Mediabase chart for the tracking week Nov 10 – Nov 16.  It logged 7,112 radio plays (-308) with an audience of 57.16 million impressions.

For a detailed report check out Country Aircheck Weekly Issue 372 - November 18, 2013 [PDF File]