CHART STORY: A TROUBADOUR'S TRIUMPH
What year is it again? We ask because James Taylor has officially topped the HITS Building Album Sales Chart with 95k and the Sales Plus Streaming (SPS) Chart with 97k.
Before This World, Taylor’s seventeenth studio album and first new music in thirteen years, marks the legendary singer/songwriter’s first #1 set in his entire 49-year career.
Warner Bros.’ Adam Lambert comes in right behind at #2 with 41k for Original High, and RCA’s Hilary Duff rounds out the Top 3 with 33k for Breathe In, Breathe Out.
Speaking of debuts, Nate Ruess' Grand Romantic lands at #5, bringing home 28k. Meanwhile, Megacollider/Megaforce's Third Eye Blind bows at #8, snagging 21k with Dopamine.
Thanks to Apple's Father's Day sale, Mumford & Sons' Wilder Mind (Glassnote) jumps #11-6 with 23k, up 37%. Alabama Shakes' Sound & Color (ATO) enjoys a 17% bump with 12k, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope) scores a 37% bump with another 12k, and J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive (Roc Nation/Columbia) moves #47-39 with 8k, up 48%. Bob Marley & The Wailers' Legend (Island) re-enters the chart at #37 with 9k.
Imagine Dragons' Night Visions (KidinaKorner/Interscope) also re-enters at #27 with 11k, up 30%, due to a $5.99 sale.
The power of strong singles has propelled MCA Nashville's Sam Hunt to #6 at SPS with 33k, while he sits at #14 with 16k in album sales alone. 222/Interscope's Maroon 5 also reaps similar benefits, as V earns 28k at #9 at SPS, while sitting at #34 with 9k in album sales.
YMCMB/Republic's Drake is also a SPS winner, as his mixtape moves #15-12 with 25k, while it drops to #32 with 9k on the other chart. Capitol Nashville's Little Big Town earns the #20 SPS spot thanks to big sales on smash "Girl Crush."
Streeting this week are albums from Hollywood’s Breaking Benjamin, Mercury Nashville’s Kacey Musgraves, Capitol’s Tori Kelly and Columbia’s Leon Bridges.
In other news, if you're going to throw your weight around as a celebrity, please don't use a kettlebell.
