TAKING THE CAKE
This week’s chart sported the lowest-ever total by a chart-topper with Taylor Swift’s total of 52k, but the worst could still be coming.
According to those music retailers and abacus-counters who have returned for 2011, veteran Alternative band Cake’s new Upbeat/ILG album, Showroom of Compassion, the Sacramento rockers’ first studio release since 2004’s Pressure Chief, will be the week’s biggest debut, with sales between 35-40k which, given the state of the chart, should be a lock for the Top 10.
Jive/RED’s Cage the Elephant, the Bowling Green, Kentucky, rock band who dominated Alternative and Rock radio since the release of their 2008 self-titled debut, return with their sophomore effort, Thank You, Happy Birthday, already preceded by the single, “Shake Me Down,” which went Top 20 at Mainstream Rock, #3 at Alternative and #6 at Rock. Look for it to do between 30-35k, which should also be good enough to crack the Top 10.
Scott Borchetta’s Nashville-based Big Machine comes with Steel Magnolia, the self-titled debut from the country duo of Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones, who won the TV talent show Can You Duet. The album is on target for between 24-27k in first-week sales.
Hitting stores next Tuesday (1/18) are Capitol/EMI’s The Decemberists, Custard/Atlantic’s James Blunt, Epic’s The Script, Epitaph's Social Distortion and Razor & Tie’s Kidz Bop Kids. Don’t expect a giant release until March, when Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV hits, along with new albums scheduled from Britney Spears and Kanye West/Jay-Z.
The market was down 24% vs. last week, down 8% vs. same week last year and down 8% year to date. You may now return to removing yourself from Sarah Palin’s crosshairs.
