IB on Lady A debut

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE: Lady Antebellum’s 355k first week is particularly impressive given the fact that the initial sales on the album haven’t been fueled by a crossover mega-hit, as occurred with the group’s 2010 breakthrough Need You Now (3.65m to date). While the previous LP’s title track (5.3m) was one of those once-in-a-career smashes, Own the Night’s first single, “Just a Kiss,” which hit #1 on the Country charts in mid-August and is doing well at Hot AC, is only now being taken to Top 40 by Capitol EVP/GM Greg Thompson; the track has sold 1.3m so far. The new album’s strong start represents another feather in the 10-gallon hat of Capitol Nashville ruler Mike Dungan, who is one of Nashville’s two hottest executives, along with Big Machine’sScott Borchetta. (9/22a)