Ah...the smell of new things is in the air. No, we're not talking about Spring. Sorry. It will stay cold for a while but at least we'll have new music to listen to in the meantime! Four of the albums in this week's Billboard Top 10 are new releases, including a new no. 1.
The top spot went to Bruce Springsteen for his new collection High Hopes. It may be the smallest top debut for The Boss (99,000 units sold), but he still has plenty to be happy about. First of all, it's largely a collection of old tracks anyhow. Secondly, it moves Springsteen into sole hold of third-place for the most no. 1 debuts ever. Also, nearly 75 percent of High Hopes' were physical copies, which bodes well for the recording industry.
Last week's no. 1, the Frozen Soundtrack drops to no. 2 despite seeing an increase in sales, settling with 87,000 copies sold. It's followed by the newest Kidz Bop compilation, Kidz Bop 25, which came in at no. 3 with 65,000 copies sold. It's a slight rise from Kidz Bop 24, which sold 62,000 upon its debut. Beyoncé remains relatively strong, selling another 61,000 copies of her self-titled album and placing at no. 4.
The last two debuts on the list come in at now. 5 and 6 respectively. Jennifer Nettles, one of the members behind Sugarland, put out her solo debut That Girl, which sold 54,000 copies. That doesn't quite live up to Sugarland's three no. 1 releases, but the country audience has been known to space out its purchases, so Nettles could stick around for a while if she finds a hit. Switchfoot also placed, selling 39,000 copies of new album Fading West.
The rest of the list is a collection of lingering bestsellers. Lorde and Pure Heroine moved another 31,000 copies, coming at no. 7, while Eminem continued his streak of eleven-straight weeks in the Top 10 with The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (29,000 copies sold). Katy Perry and PRISM stuck around, selling 22,000 copies, and Imagine Dragons continued to remain relevant, selling 20,000 copies of Night Visions in its 72nd week.
