BABS BRINGS IT HOME

Columbia’s Barbra Streisand has topped the HITS Building Album Sales Chart with 196k for Partners, marking her tenth #1 album, more than any other female artist. She’s now topped the charts in six decades, which no other artist (male or female) has achieved.

Partners has also officially bested the opening week of her 2009 album Love Is the Answer, which bowed with 180k.

Meanwhile, RCA’s Chris Brown debuted at #2 on the chart with 142k for his sixth studio album, X, besting his 2012 release's 135k. The album features the smash single, “Loyal” f/Lil Wayne, which peaked at #1 on both the Rhythm and Urban charts, and his current single, “New Flame” f/Usher & Rick Ross, which is currently Top 10 Rhythm and Top 5 Urban.

This week’s Top 5 is made up entirely of debuts, including Big Machine’s Tim McGraw, who landed at #3 with 72k. In fact, there are no fewer than eight debuts in the Top 10.

Country icon George Strait debuted The Cowboy Rides Away at #4 with 53k. The live album immortalizes his performance at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium during his farewell trek, before the MCA Nashville veteran rides off into the proverbial sunset of his touring career. Unless he decides to do another farewell tour.

Columbia’s Train rounds out the Top 5 with 52k. Other debuts include Dik Hayd’s Slash (#10, 27k) and Curb’s Australian duo of pop-rock brothers, For King and Country (#12, 23k).

Last week’s chart-topper, Reach’s Lecrae, drops to #9, pulling in another 27k (-69%), and 222/Interscope’s Maroon 5 lands at #7 with 39k (-51%).

Powered by a 99-cent sale on Google Play, Interscope’s OneRepublic rockets up over 800%, earning the #6 slot with 49k in their 78th week on the chart.

For all of this week’s stats, click here.

Streeting at presstime are albums from Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville’s Kenny Chesney and a duet set by Interscope’s Lady Gaga and Columbia's Tony Bennett on a collection of beloved standards in which both labels partake. RCA's viral a cappella sensations Pentatonix hit the streets (with EP PTX III), as does labelmate Jennifer Hudson.

As we've been observing, Q4 has a decidedly Country accent. With albums from McGraw and Strait this week, Chesney next week, Blake Shelton and Lady Antebellum the following week, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Little Big Town after that, and a release from Pearl/RCA Nashville’s Garth Brooks in November, you can’t help but let out a big ol’ “Yeeeeehaw.”