A MUSIC CITY SHOWDOWN FOR #1
Just a week after five of the Top 10 albums on the HITS chart were country acts comes a two-way race between Nashville’s finest for #1 in next week’s sales tally.
Based on one-day sales reports from those retailers who aren’t checking out a matinee showing of Jackass 3D, Mercury Nashville’s Sugarland and RCA/RMG’s Kings of Leon will battle it out for the top spot, making this a two-way competition of Music City’s finest.
Luke Lewis’ Grammy-, ACM-, CMA-, CMT- and AMA-winning duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush return with their fourth album, The Incredible Machine, as initial figures point to a debut between 200-225k, giving them the edge for #1.
Fellow
J/RMG’s Rod Stewart returns with Volume V of his Great American Songbook series, Fly Me to the Moon, slated for 60-65k in sales, the same estimate as the critically acclaimed Elton John/Leon Russell album on Decca, The Union, which just garnered a rare five-star review in Rolling Stone.
Columbia’s Glee Cast Rocky Horror Glee Show album, for next week’s Halloween episode of Fox’s TV smash, should do around 50-55k.
Sony Music Latin’s new Spanish language Shakira album, Sale El Sol, loosely translated as “The Sun Leaves,” is eyeing a one-week sales total between 40-45k, while Essential/Provident’s Grammy-winning Georgia Christian rockers Third Day are in line for a 30-35k opening week for their latest, Move.
The revelatory Bob Dylan Bootleg Series returns with its ninth volume on Columbia/Sony Legacy, Whitmark Demos: 1962-’64, a compilation of tracks cut by the young singer-songwriter for his first music publishers, arguably defining the exact moment classic Tin Pan Alley gave way to the new rock generation. Look for a first-week sales total of 25-30k for the collection.
Walt Disney’s Hannah Montana Forever soundtrack is also streeting, with a first-week prognosis of 20-25k.
The market was up 2% vs. last week, down 14% vs. same week last year and now down 14% year to date.
Don’t you wish you were in a Chilean coal mine?
