Toby Keith sells most country albums
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 – It was a good week for debuts on the country chart with Toby Keith leading the way with "American Ride." Keith sold about 90,000 units of his latest to top the Billboard chart, which officially drops Thursday.
Luke Bryan lands at number 2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and 6 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 album chart, while Rosanne Cash achieved the highest chart position of her career with the debut of "The List" at five on the country chart.
Bryan sold more than 57,000 albums of his sophomore album "Doin' My Thing" in its first week of release. This more than doubled the first week sales of his debut album "I'll Stay Me" in 2007.
"I am completely blown away by the fan support," said Bryan. "I went into making this record hoping to show real growth as an artist and I hope I have accomplished that. This is a real great day for me, and everyone who has worked so hard. "
Bryan kicks off his inaugural headlining tour with his Miller Lite-sponsored "Doin' My Thing" Tour on Oct. 29 in Estero, Fla.
Cash's CD entered The Billboard 200 at number 22. Her highest previous ranking in the Top 200 was at 26 with the album "Seven Year Ache" in 1981. "The List" was also first on Amazon's Bestseller's list after its release on Oct. 6 and reached 4 on iTunes Top Albums chart.
Inspired by a list of 100 essential country songs given to her by her father when she was a teenager, Cash will appear on American Public Media's A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, which will air live in St. Paul, Minn. on Oct. 17.
More news for Luke Bryan
CD reviews for Luke Bryan
Doin' My Thing
"Do I turn you on and on when I kiss you baby? Does the sight of me wanting you drive you crazy?" Luke Bryan's debut single off his sophomore album, Do I is narrated from a point of insecurity, but it comes from a voice that's potentially watching a relationship collapse before his very eyes. It's the stage where one doesn't want to admit that the fire and passion are gone, so just the fact that he's asking all of these questions should tell us that it's over. »»» |
I'll Stay Me
Luke Bryan described his hometown of Leesburg, Ga. as "100 miles north of the Florida border, 100 miles east of the Alabama border and in the middle of nowhere."
His 11-song debut has a similarly rural feel to it. Bryan, who co-wrote Billy Currington's number one hit "Good Directions," proves his versatility on an album that combines twangy vocals and fiddles with catchy melodies.
"Country Man," however, is chock full of country clichés and is Bryan's »»» |
Editorial: American Idol's Carrie Underwood can sing –
If anyone saw the Super Bowl – what a great great game that was – they would have heard American Idol winner and country superstar Carrie Underwood sing the National Anthem. Underwood did with her voice what Kelly Clarkson did last week with her written words – give it to Scott Borchetta, the head of Big Machine Records,, who tried defending Taylor Swift by knocking American Idol performers. »»»
Concert Review: Those Darlins stand up on own terms –
Those Darlins are not your typical country band. For starters, Nikki, Jessi and Kelley Darlin (they're actually not of the same family) are females (well they are aided by a male drummer). And they merge traditional country sounds with a punky sensibility.
This is not the type of music coming out of mainstream Nashville these days, but... »»»
Concert Review: McBride, Adkins shine sometimes –
As Martina McBride pointed out, the pairing of the country singer with Trace Adkins on their current jaunt was surprising. After all, she's of diva-quality voice, petite, non-controversial unless you call singing songs that empower women controversial. Adkins, on the other hand, has not been afraid to speak his mind with a kick butt attitude.... »»»
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Currently at the CST blogs
Blue Highway's banjo player Jason Burleson acknowledges that their 1995 debut album "It's A Long, Long Road" turned out to be prophetic. It has been quite a journey for the Tennessee-based band that has become one of the "gold standards" of bluegrass, with 8 more "signpost" albums along the way, the latest being their newly-released 15th Anniversary collection on Rounder, "Some Day."... »»»
Elvis Aron Presley, had he not collapsed face first into a shag carpet in his Graceland bathroom on Aug. 16, 1977, would have been 75-years-old Friday. Yet, somehow, his birthday seems all the more important because he is not actually here while others feast at his table. Graceland - a greater cultural icon and more milkable cash cow than even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - is being remodeled for future generations to come, gawk and breathe in a few scant molecules of the King's essence. Do the new overseers really care about Elvis?... »»»
Here it is the top 30 for 2009. This isn't authoritative in case you thought otherwise. It's just one man's opinion about his favorite CDs of the year, which seemed a cut above everything else. It was incredibly hard figuring out a number one CD for the year between the Avett Brothers, Brad Paisley and George Strait. All three were great albums from different perspectives of country and roots music, and at any one time over the past few days, each was my favorite. Come back in a few days, and who knows? Maybe the order will change.... »»»
Haywire
There are two versions of Josh Turner's fourth CD - standard and deluxe. The deluxe has the same 11 tracks as the standard, plus (among other goodies) live versions of previously released songs Long Black Train and Your Man . But don't spend more money than you have to; if it's redundancy you're looking for, there's plenty to be had on the standard version. »»» |
Somewhere in Time
If Rascal Flatts is country music's clean cut, commercially palatable Beatles, then Reckless Kelly is the genre's Rolling Stones; grittier, more authentically influenced, rawer at the core even when their output is every bit as polished. The brainchild of Idaho brothers Willy and Cody Braun, Reckless Kelly was crowned Austin's Best Country Band in the city's 2008 music awards, an incredible honor. »»» |
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