Country
Billboard Chart News May 8, 2017
In
Brief: Billboard Country Charts (Chart issue week of May 20, 2017)
Country Album
Chart ** No.1 (1 week) GOD’S PROBLEM CHILD
Willie Nelson
Hot Country
Songs ** No.1 (13 weeks) ** “Body Like A Back
Road” Sam Hunt
Country Airplay
** No.1 (3 weeks) ** “Body Like A Back Road” Sam Hunt
Country Digital
Songs ** No.1 (14 weeks) ** “Body Like A Back
Road” Sam Hunt
The
Billboard 200 chart measures multi-metric album consumption, which includes
traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent
albums (SEA).
Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. held steady atop the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart (BB200)
for a third week, as the set earned 173,000
equivalent album units in the week ending May 4 (down 28%), according to
Nielsen Music.
Of
DAMN.’s units for the week, 56,557 were in traditional album sales (down 37%). The rest were in TEA
(12,000; down 16%) and SEA (105,000; down 23%).
DAMN.
has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any of Lamar’s previous leaders. He spent
one week at the top with Untitled Unmastered in 2016, and two weeks at No. 1
with To Pimp a Butterfly in 2015.
Coming
in at #2, Gorillaz made a statement
with its Humanz album. The project earned 139,548 total units in its first week
and did 115,063 in pure album sales, a feat
for any project these days. This ties the group’s highest Billboard 200
placement, as 2010’s Plastic Beach reached the same position.
Mary J. Blige returned to the Billboard
200 with STRENGTH OF A WOMAN, which made a debut at No. 3 with 78,000 units (72,095 in traditional album sales).
The set gave the queen of hip-hop/soul her highest charting album in more than
seven years – since STRONGER WITH EACH TEAR debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the
Jan. 9, 2010-dated list.
Rounding out the top 10 was Willie Nelson, who made a bow at No.10 with GOD’S PROBLEM CHILD (36,000 units; 34,385 in traditional album sales). It’s the music legend’s sixth top 10 effort – four of which have occurred since 2013.
CHART HISTORY: He has visited the top 10
previously with DJANGO AND JIMMIE (30,408 debut sales; No.7 in 2015,
with Merle Haggard), BAND OF BROTHERS
(37,441 debut sales; No.5; 2014), TO ALL THE GIRLS… (No.9; released Oct
15, 2013), ALWAYS ON MY MIND (No.2;
1982) and Wanted! The Outlaws (No.10
in 1976, with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser).
Billboard Top Country
Albums (Chart issue week
of May 20, 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.
Willie Nelson
Tops Country Album Charts With 'God's Problem Child'
Country
legend Willie Nelson with GOD’S PROBLEM CHILD
(Legacy) bounded in atop the Billboard
Top Country Albums Chart (dated May 20), earning 36,000 equivalent albums,
with 34,385 in pure sales, during its
first week (ending May 4), according to Nielsen Music.
Nelson
notched his 17th No.1 on Top Country
Albums (and third to arrive at the summit). He ascended to a solo share of the
second-most chart-toppers, passing Garth
Brooks and Merle Haggard, each
with 16. Among all artists, George Strait leads with 26 No.1s on the chart,
which launched in 1964.
Fellow
icons Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Strait share second place with 40 top 10s
each.
Meanwhile,
Nelson updated his status as the oldest living artist to crown Top
Country Albums. Born April 29, 1933, he just celebrated his 84th birthday.
Nelson
last led the list, at age 82, with DJANGO
AND JIMMIE (alongside then-78-year-old Merle Haggard) on June20, 2015 (30,408 sold). Haggard died in 2016
on his 79th birthday (April 6).
Meanwhile,
Lynn, who turned 85 on April 14 and is recovering after suffering a stroke
(May4), debuted and peaked at No.4 on Top Country Albums with Full Circle on
March 26, 2016 (a month shy of her 84th birthday).
God’s
Problem Child is Nelson’s first No.1 on Top Country Albums without another
artist since BAND OF BROTHERS debuted
atop the chart dated July 5, 2014 (37,441 sold). When Brothers crowned the list, it closed a 28-year gap
between chart-toppers for Nelson; before that, he hadn’t reigned since June 7,
1986 (with THE PROMISELAND).
The
new, 13-track album was produced by Nelson and Buddy Cannon, with the pair
having co-written seven of its songs. A good amount of the material focuses on
aging, while “Still Not Dead” was inspired by fake news stories that reported
Nelson’s premature demise. During a recent interview with Jeremy Tepper, who
programs SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse channel, Nelson said of the falsehoods,
“I always loved them. Everybody’s so glad to see me.”
The
last song on the LP, “He Won’t Ever Be Gone,” pays homage
to Haggard. “You get to be our age, you see a lot of your buddies and friends
pass on,” Nelson told Tepper. “It’s just inevitable. We’re all going to go one
of these days... [But] not today.”
Critical
reception for Willie Nelson’s God's Problem Child:
(28
April 2017) (Sony Music Entertainment/ Legacy Recordings)
13
Tracks/ Time: 44:14 (CMP April 2017; 4 STARS) Spencer Leigh
Rollingstone (Rating: 4 STARS) Our take
on the 83-year-old country icon's latest, on which the passage of time is
rendered with timeless wisdom and beauty....Set to longtime producer Buddy
Cannon's sparse, elegant country arrangements, these songs are brimming with
bleak prophecy and spiritual acceptance, as Nelson ponders his eternal home
("Little House on the Hill"), everlasting compassion ("True
Love"), and his fallen comrade Merle
Haggard ("He Won't Ever Be
Gone"). On songs like "Your Memory Has a Mind of Its Own" and
"Old Timer," Nelson addresses his devastating second-person
meditations about physical deterioration to himself, a clever narrative device
that packs a heavy punch
By
Gregory Katz, Associated Press …Willie's
back, thank goodness. " God's Problem Child " is Willie Nelson's
first CD of completely new material in three years, and his advanced age (Don't
look now, he turns 84 on April 29) hasn't dulled his pen, his voice, or his
simple, eloquent guitar. Strip away the mythology, the rivalries, the battles
with the IRS and the fondness for marijuana, and you're left with the music,
its powerful mood set by a soft, direct voice that seems to have grown more
expressive over the years. This is a warm, mellow work, with few surprises but
many moments to savor. It's taken decades for Nelson to sound this comfortable
and relaxed
Uncut (Rating: 8/10) The country
legend takes stock: Planted firmly at the center of God’s Problem Child, “Still
Not Dead” is one of Willie’s modern masterpieces and the centrepiece of an
album that can stand comfortably alongside any of his iconic work......God’s
Problem Child continues that tradition—approaching life and love from angles
that can only result from a career spent studying both with a restless sense of
wonder. It’s the kind of perspective that most songwriters can only dream of
attaining: for Willie Nelson, it’s just another day at the office.
Paste Magazine (Rating: 8.7 | 87/100)
...In a youth-obsessed world, God’s Problem Child flies in convention’s face. On the languishing title track, penned by Jamey Johnson and swamp rocker Tony Joe White, Willie Nelson enlists the song’s co-writers and Leon Russell to consider living on one’s own time and terms...... Sifting the seeds and stems of lost love, disappointment and mortality, Nelson’s slightly out of time, note-stretching voice is porous, yet strong on the somber “True Love.” Belying the saccharine title, the spare arrangement moves beneath his clear-eyed assessment of how hard, yet wonderful, love is....Nelson lives to play. Until he’s called home, it’s a safe bet the music is going to keep coming. If it’s the quality of God’s Problem Child, it will be as vital as anything he’s done.
...In a youth-obsessed world, God’s Problem Child flies in convention’s face. On the languishing title track, penned by Jamey Johnson and swamp rocker Tony Joe White, Willie Nelson enlists the song’s co-writers and Leon Russell to consider living on one’s own time and terms...... Sifting the seeds and stems of lost love, disappointment and mortality, Nelson’s slightly out of time, note-stretching voice is porous, yet strong on the somber “True Love.” Belying the saccharine title, the spare arrangement moves beneath his clear-eyed assessment of how hard, yet wonderful, love is....Nelson lives to play. Until he’s called home, it’s a safe bet the music is going to keep coming. If it’s the quality of God’s Problem Child, it will be as vital as anything he’s done.
Allmusic (Rating: 4 Stars) Mortality hangs over God's Problem Child,
Willie Nelson's first solo album of original songs since 2014's Band of
Brothers. Since that record, Willie lost several friends and he's also been the
subject of several death hoaxes, a subject he tackles with a grin on
"Still Not Dead," one of seven originals Nelson co-wrote with his
longtime producer, Buddy Cannon.....All these songs hang together -- they're
songs about love, loss, memory, and mistakes -- but God's Problem Child isn't a
song cycle, nor is it a major statement. It's simply an uncommonly strong
latter-day record from Willie Nelson: there isn't a hint of fussiness and the
songs and the performances are so understated, they only seem richer with
repeated spins.
Pop Matters (Rating: 8/10) ..There is a
soullessness to the music of current chart toppers like Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt,
Florida Georgia Line and others trafficking in what amounts to little more than
pop music with a twang and requisite references to all things blue collar and
redneck.....So to hear any sort of organic instrumentation on a modern country
album is a breath of fresh air, a relief from the claustrophobia of the
NashVegas assembly line…..While perhaps not a definitive artistic statement,
God’s Problem Child is nonetheless an indisputable high point in this late
stage of Nelson’s career, one that will no doubt go down as required listening
for those who would ever deign to question his continued cultural relevancy.
Keith Urban with RIPCORD (Hit Red/Capitol Nashville) held
at #2 (#31 non-mover Billboard 200) selling 9,124 copies
(up 12%; 52-week total 562,600).
Chris Stapleton with TRAVELLER (MERCURY/ UMGN) held at #3 (#36-35 BB200) selling 7,693 copies
(up 7%; 105 week total 1,915,400).
Last weeks’
No.1 from Brad
Paisley with
LOVE AND WAR (Arista Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) fell 1-4 (#13-42 BB200) selling 10,022 copies (down 61%, 2-week total 35,600)
Brett Young with self-titled debut (BMLG) stuck at #5 (#45 non-mover BB200) selling 4,088 copies
(down 3%; 12-week total 64,000).
Florida Georgia Line with DIG YOUR ROOTS (BMLG) fell 4-6
(#42-47 BB200) selling 2,602 copies (down 9%; 36-week total 384,400).
Thomas Rhett with
TANGLED UP (Valory) held at #8 (#70-79 BB200) selling 1,740
copies (down 6%; 84-week total 570,000).
Little Big Town with THE BREAKER lifted 22-9 (152-86 BB200)
selling 5,318 copies
(up 92%; 10-week total 104,900)
Miranda Lambert with THE WEIGHT OF THESE WINGS (Vanner/ RCA Nashville/Sony Music Nashville)
fell 7-10 (69-89 BB200) selling 4,140 copies (down 15%, 24-week total 342,700).
Outside the
Top 10
Jon Pardi with CALIFORNIA SUNRISE held at #11
(#86-92 BB200) selling 2,122 copies (down 5%; 46-week
total 144,200).
Jason Aldean with THEY DON'T KNOW (Macon/Broken Bow) fell
10-12 (#84-96 BB200) selling 2,582 copies
(down 12%; 33-week total 373,600).
Brantley Gilbert with THE DEVIL DONT SLEEP (Valory) fell 9-13 (#83-98 BB200) with 3,088 copies
sold (down 11%; 14-week total 162,900).
Old Crow Medicine Show with 50 YEARS OF BLONDE ON BLONDE (Live) made a debut at #14 (#115 BB200) selling 6,335 copies (the 32nd best seller & 5th best
country release in the US this frame)
Critical
reception for Old
Crow Medicine Show’s 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde (Live):
Country Standard Time -
Rather, the band simply emulates
the original arrangements, enhancing the melodic tunefulness in songs such as
"Visions of Johanna," "I Want You" and "Just Like a
Woman," and upping the energy level on "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With
the Memphis Blues Again" and "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go
Mine" to the extent that they rock like never before. Likewise, Ketch
Secor's lead vocals captures the ragged endurance of Dylan's trademark scratch
and sprawl, not so much as imitating him but rather, bringing all its edgy
impertinence to the fore.
No one can ever stand in for the
Bobster, of course, but it's also fair to say that no one could do as superb a
job of revisiting a masterpiece such as "Blond on Blonde" with the
ferocity and determination accorded it by Old Crow Medicine Show. Consider this
a masterpiece reborn. Kudos, Crows!
Allmusic (Rating: 4 Stars) Even when sticking largely to the original arrangements, the group
performs with a giddiness that gives the music a fresh kick, and that energy is
what makes this record something a little bit more than a run-of-the-mill
tribute. Old Crow Medicine Show perform Dylan's songs as if they belonged to
the band and, in a sense, that might be true: any album that survives 50 years
belongs to the world at large, and what's fun about 50 Years of Blonde on
Blonde is hearing how Old Crow Medicine Show hear an album you know by heart.
Spill Magazine (Rating: 3 STARS) ..When
they cut loose and put on their own spin, such as their version of “Obviously 5
Believers”, they shine. But sometimes
they fall into the trap of not wanting to tinker with the classic material. Given Dylan’s live performance and his habit
of rearranging his own songs, I think Dylan would have appreciated the band
taking some of the songs in different directions.... Here is a band covering
Dylan, and it is more nostalgic than new takes on the music.
Dierks Bentley with BLACK (Capitol Nashville | UMGN) fell 15-17 (#126-133 BB200)
Kelsea Ballerini with THE FIRST TIME (Black River) rose 21-18 (147-135 BB200) selling 2,173 copies
(up 33%; 103-week total 278,100)
Kane Brown with self-titled set Kane Brown fell 14-19 (#126-121 BB200) selling 2,881 copies (down 7%; 22-week total 144,200)
Blake Shelton with IF I’M HONEST (Warner Bros./WMN) slipped 17-20 (#128 BB200) in his 50th frame selling 1,664 copies.
Maren Morris with HERO (Columbia Nashville | SMN) fell 18-21 (132-142 BB200) selling 1,868 copies
(down 7%; 48-week total 218,400).
Outside the
Top 25
Josh Turner with DEEP SOUTH (MCA Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville) fell off
the Top 25 moving 25-29 selling 1,897 copies (down 17%, 8-week total 40,700).
Reba McEntire with Sing It Now: Songs Of Faith & Hope
(Rockin' R/Nash Icon | BMLG) fell 29-32
(169 BB200) selling 3,570 copies (down 12%; 13-week total 166,800).
In
its fourth frame Joey Feek with IF NOT FOR YOU
(Farmhouse/Gaither/Capitol CMG), fell 30-35
selling 3,763
copies (down 13%; 4-week total 25,263).
FALLING
SHORT of Top 50:
On the Country Album Sales list (pure sales; old
methodology)
Dalton Domino with CORNERS made a debut at #41
selling 800 copies. The band hail from Lubbock,
Texas and comprise Dalton Domino (Vocals/Guitar), Michael Moad (Bass), Beau
Bolfing (Guitar) and Chase Francis (Drums). The music is described as a “gritty
blend of fast, energetic southern rock with a hint of everything from
Americana, Red Dirt, and Texas Country to Delta Blues and Soul”
Year-To-Date Albums
6,749,000 (Physical sales 4,598,000
(down -12.3%) + Digital sales 2,151,000 (down -21.7%) which is 15.5% down at the same point in 2016
(7,991,000 sales)
Year-To-Date Digital Tracks
25,067,000 down 23.2% at the same point in 2016 (32,619,000)
Billboard Hot Country Songs
(Chart issue week
of May 20, 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:
Sam Hunt with “Body Like a Back Road” (MCA Nashville) dominated Hot Country
Songs, Country Airplay, Country Digital Song Sales and Country Streaming Songs
simultaneously for a third straight week. The track spent a 13th frame atop Hot
Country Songs (which combines streaming, airplay and sales data).
It topped Country Digital Song Sales for a 14th week,
down 10% to 51,000 downloads sold; Country Streaming Songs for a 13th frame
(14.7 million U.S. streams, up less than 1%); and Country Airplay for a third
week (44.9 million in audience, down 5%).
Darius
Rucker rose to the top 10 on
both Hot Country Songs (15-8) and
Country Airplay (11-8; 28.3million, up 13%), scoring his ninth and 10th top 10,
respectively, with “If I Told You” (Capitol Nashville). On Hot Country Songs,
the track owed its leap partly to a 69-cent sale tag in the iTunes Store, as it
surged 126% to 18,000 sold and flew 24-8 on Country Digital Song Sales.
Hot County
Songs
** No.1 (13
weeks) ** “Body Like A Back Road” Sam
Hunt
** Streaming
Gainer ** No.2 “In Case You Didn't Know” Brett
Young
** Airplay Gainer/ Digital Gainer ** No.8 “If
I Told You” Darius Rucker
** Hot Shot Debut ** No.32 “Somewhere In My
Broken Heart” Lauren Duski
Debut
No.37 “Second One To Know” Chris
Stapleton
Debut
No.39 “In The Blood” John Mayer
Debut
No.42 “River” Brennley Brown
Debut
No.44 “Right Girl Wrong Time” Jon
Langston
Sam
Hunt with “Body Like A Back Road'
“ruled Country Airplay for a third week, despite a 5% audience dip to 44.9
million
Florida
Georgia Line banked its 13th top
10 on Country Airplay
(encompassing all of the duo’s proper singles promoted to radio) as “God, Your Mama, and Me” (BMLG Records),
featuring Backstreet Boys, rose 12-10 (24.2 million, up 9%). Backstreet
Boys reach the top tier in their first visit to Country Airplay and earned
their first top10 on any Billboard airplay chart since 2005, when the pop
group’s “Incomplete” reached No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary tally.
Country
Airplay
***
No.1 (3 weeks) *** “Body Like A Back Road' Sam
Hunt 44.93 million audience (-2.188 million) / 7,928 radio plays (-589)
** Hot
Shot Debut/ Most Increased Audience/ Most Added ** No.26 “Either Way” Chris Stapleton 7.434 million audience
gain thanks to 57 fresh radio
commitments (ADDS)
Debut
No.48 “She’s With Me” High Valley
Debut
No.51 “Til Tomorrow” Walker McGuire
Debut
No.60 “All On Me” Devin Dawson
Sam Hunt with “Body Like a Back Road”
(MCA Nashville) held at No.1 on the Billboard
Country Song Sales Chart for
a fo 14th week selling 52,000 downloads (down 9%; 14-week total 856,000).
On
the overall Digital Song Sales chart, it fell back 3-7, six places behind the
No.1 “I'm The One” by DJ Khaled featuring
Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper & Lil Wayne (171,000 downloads
sold, in the week ending May 4, according to Nielsen Music).
Brett Young with “In Case You Didn’t Know” held
at #2 (#16 non-mover Digital Songs; 30,000 sales; 31-week
total 500,000) and reached GOLD status.
Keith Urban with “The Fighter,” featuring Carrie Underwood (Hit Red/Capitol
Nashville), held at rose #3 (#25
non-mover Digital Songs; 24,000 sales; 18-week
total 490,000).
Luke Combs with “Hurricane” held at #4 (#33-28 Digital
Songs; 23,000 sales; up 15%; 23-week total 369,000).
The Voice
season 12 contestant Lauren Duski with
“Somewhere
In My Broken Heart” (written and recorded by Billy Dean) made a debut
at #5 (19,000 sales). Lauren whose
coach is Blake Shelton performed it on Episode 21 (Top 11 week; Monday, May 1)
Darius Rucker with “If I Told You” jumped 24-6 (#40 Re-Entry Digital Songs; 18,000 sales; 19-week total 252,000).
Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris with “Craving
You” lifted 9-7 (14,000 sales; 5-week total 116,000).
Florida Georgia
Line feat. Backstreet Boys with
“God,
Your Mama, And Me” held at #8 (14,000 sales; 13-week total
265,000).
Jon Pardi with “Dirt On My Boots” fell 6-9 (13,000 sales; 32-week
total 553,000).
Lady Antebellum with “You Look Good” held at #10 (12,000 sales; 15-week total 198,000)
Outside the Top 10
Chris Stapleton with “Second One To Know” made
a debut at #11 selling 11,000 copies
as “Broken Halos” (Mercury) fell 5-15; (10,000 sales; down 34%, 3-week
total 63,000)
The Voice Season 12 contestant Brennley Brown with "River"
(Joni Mitchell 1971) made a debut at #12
(11,000 sales). Brennley who is one Team Gwen Stefani >> performed the song on Episode 21 (broadcast Monday, May 1).
Miranda Lambert with “Tin Man” slipped 12-13 (11,000 sales; down 8%; 7-week
total 122,000).
Dylan Scott with “My Girl” fell 13-14 (10,000 sales; 16-week total 217,000).
Georgia
native, Jon Langston with “Right Girl Wrong Time” made a debut
at #18 selling 9,000 downloads.
Country Aircheck MEDIABASE
Chart
8
May 2017
Congrats again
to Sam Hunt,
Royce Risser, Katie Dean, David Friedman and the MCA promotion team on earning
a second week at No.1 with “Body Like A Back Road.” The song is
the first single from Hunt’s upcoming album. It marked the first single to
maintain a two-week run at #1 since Little Big Town's "Better Man" held for two weeks in
February (Feb 27).
Body Like A Back Road logged 8,653 radio spins (+440) and 58.868 million audience impressions (-2.988 million) with 26030 Total Points from 157 tracking stations for the tracking week April 30 to May 6, 2017 and published chart May 8th 2017.
Kudos to Damon
Moberly and the Mercury team (photo left) on
landing 79 adds for Chris Stapleton’s “Either Way”.
The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.
The song topped the "Most Added" board this chart week.
Billboard Boxscores (Selective Country
concerts)
Rank
Artist: #5
Event
Venue City/State: Eric Church U.S. Bank Arena Cincinnati,
Ohio
Dates:
April 22, 2017 Gross Sales: $1,322,826 Attend: 16,736/ 16,736
Shows/
Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices:
$129, $29
Promoters:
Messina Touring
Group/AEG Presents
Rank
Artist: #23
Event
Venue City/State: Jason Aldean, Chris Young,
Kane Brown Allen County War Memorial
Coliseum Fort Wayne, Ind.
Dates:
April 28, 2017 Gross Sales: $564,974 Attend:
9,156/ 9,156
Shows/
Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices:
$70.25, $50.25, $35.25
Promoters:
Live Nation
Rank
Artist: #41
Event
Venue City/State: Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi,
Cole Swindell Reno Events Center Reno, Nev.
Dates:
April 30, 2017 Gross Sales: $391,105 Attend: 6,410/ 6,410
Shows/
Sellouts: 1/1 ** SOLD OUT ** Prices:
$69.50, $59.50, $39.50
Promoters:
Live Nation
Rank
Artist: #73
Event
Venue City/State: Dean Brody, High Valley, James Barker Band Tribute
Communities Centre Oshawa, Ontario
Dates:
April 29, 2017 Gross Sales: $127,717 Attend: 3,233/ 3,500
Shows/
Sellouts: 1/0 (267 unsold tickets) SOLD OUT ** Prices: $47.62, $28.94
Promoters:
Live Nation/Spectra
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.