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Tag: Garth Brooks

  • Chart Chat Recap Part 1: Who Has The Keys To The Top?

    Yes, folks, it’s that time of the year again. Billboard recently released its’ year-end charts, and some of the results will surprise you. Chris Brown ranks as the year’s top artist, thanks to three huge hit singles and a double-platinum album. He’s also (obviously) the top male artist on the year-end survey, while to no one’s surprise, his girlfriend Rihanna ranks as the top female artist. In their breakout year, The Jonas Brothers rank as the top band/duo/group.

    This week, we turn our attention to the year’s top albums. Now, when doing their year end survey, Billboard does not use hard sales figures, nor do they use the strict calendar year. Their year end charts are based on a calculation of chart positions from week-to-week, while the time period they tally is from the first week of December 2007 to the last week of November 2008. Which should explain why the biggest-selling album of 2008 isn’t actually the Number One album of 2008. Let’s move on to the chart, shall we? Oh, and as always, all chart positions are courtesy of the good folks at Billboard communications.

    1) “As I Am” Alicia Keys

    Keys snared the #1 spot by spending all 52 weeks of the chart year on the Top 200. During that period, “As I Am” has sold 3.7 million copies. It’s the first time Keys has had a #1 album of the year. And here’s a sign at how flat record sales have become: “As I Am” is the worst selling studio album of Keys’ career.

    2) “Noel” Josh Groban

    “Noel” was actually the biggest selling album of the time period captured in the year-end chart, but as it was a holiday release, it’s time on the chart was limited. By the way, in terms of actual album sales, “Noel” wound up being 2007’s #1 album.

    3) “Tha Carter III” Lil Wayne

    2008’s #1-selling album by a healthy margin, Weezy joins Alicia Keys as the only artists in the Top 5 Artists, Albums and Singles of 2008. It’s also (obviously) the highest-ranking hip-hop title on the year end chart and the only one in the Top 20. The rest of the top 5, in order, T.I. (#23 on the overall chart), Rick Ross (#50), Jay-Z (#57) and Young Jeezy (#62)

    4. “Long Road Out of Eden” The Eagles

    5. “Fearless” Taylor Swift

    Swift had two hit albums this year (“Fearless” ranks at #66), and is the highest-ranking country artist on the chart, assuming we’re not counting The Eagles as a country band. Take that, Joe Jonas!

    6. “Rock ‘n Roll Jesus” Kid Rock

    Kid’s album, which came out in October ’07, is the oldest album in the year-end Top Ten. His hit single “All Summer Long” was a hit on both pop and country radio and gave him one of the biggest songs of his career. Who’d have thought that the hick rapper with the midget sidekick would still be on top of the charts ten years later?

    7. “Viva La Vida or Death & All His Friends” Coldplay

    Coldplay’s album, conversely, is the newest album to appear in the year-end Top 10, as well as the highest ranking album by a U.K. artist. Leona Lewis is the only other Brit import in the Top 25. The rest of the Top 5 as far as Brits go: Led Zeppelin (#31), Robert Plant (with Alison Krauss, #39) and Amy Winehouse (#43).

    8. “Now That’s What I Call Music Vol. 26” Various Artists

    This series has proven to be quite durable over the years, proving that some Americans are just too damn lazy to make their own mix tapes. “Now 28” is #37 and “Now 27” is #41.

    9. “Carnival Ride” Carrie Underwood

    Carrie’s one of four “American Idol” alumni in the year-end Top 100. The others? Daughtry (#33), Jordin Sparks (#35) and Jennifer Hudson (#93)

    10. “The Ultimate Hits” Garth Brooks

    11. “Hannah Montana Soundtrack 3/Meet Miley Cyrus” Miley Cyrus

    12. “Growing Pains” Mary J. Blige

    13. “Exclusive” Chris Brown

    Chris and Rihanna handily beat out R&B/hip-hop’s other power couple. Jay-Z, as previously mentioned, landed at #37 for the year with “American Gangster” and Beyonce’s “B-Day” ended the year at #170. “I Am…Sasha Fierce” came out too late to qualify, but it should figure mightily on next year’s chart.

    14. “Sleep Through the Static” Jack Johnson

    15. “Black Ice” AC/DC

    16. “Death Magnetic” Metallica

    AC/DC, Metallica, The Eagles and Garth Brooks (who sneaks in by virtue of debuting in 1989) are the only artists on the year-end Top 25 whose careers predate 1990. Mariah Carey and Kid Rock narrowly missed, as both issued their freshman efforts in 1990. So, basically, if you want a long career? Record metal or country.

    17. “Jonas Brothers” Jonas Brothers

    The Jonases are the only artists with two albums in the Top 25. Touche, Taylor Swift.

    18. “Coco” Colbie Caillat

    19. “Spirit” Leona Lewis

    Leona’s the only artist in the Top 25 to debut in 2008, although Colbie Caillat narrowly tops her with the highest-ranking debut album on the chart. As far as debut albums go, those two are followed by Daughtry, Jordin Sparks and Amy Winehouse (“Back to Black” counts because it was her U.S. debut).

    20. “High School Musical 2 Soundtrack” Various Artists

    21. “Good Girl Gone Bad” Rihanna

    If “Rehab” ascends just a few more positions in the next couple weeks, Rihanna will follow Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Bruce Springsteen as the only artists to pull seven Top 20 songs from one album. Not too shabby.

    22. “E=MC2” Mariah Carey

    23. “Paper Trail” T.I.

    T.I  not only found himself beat by Lil Wayne on the charts this year, I’m pretty sure Weezy got arrested more times in the past year as well. However, T.I.’s the one looking at a stretch upstate, so he wins something after all.

    24. “Mamma Mia Soundtrack” Various Artists

    25. “A Little Bit Longer” Jonas Brothers

    I would love to make another Jonas/Taylor Swift joke here…but I can’t think of one. Shit.

    Next week…the year’s Top 25 singles.

  • Award Season Is Upon Us: The 2008 AMA Nominees

    No matter how they try, the American Music Awards will never be able to escape the shadow of being the Grammys’ bastard little brother. Which is why today’s announcement of the nominees was met with a resounding yawn. The show gets ignored for several other reasons too. The awards are voted on by a select poll of consumers, which means we get hit with travesties like Milli Vanilli’s sweep in 1990 and C&C Music Factory’s sweep two years later. There have also been long-standing rumors that AMA winners are tipped off before the show airs, meaning that the winners are a lot more sure to be in attendance.

    This year’s nominees are fairly predictable. Alicia Keys leads the pack with five, followed by The Eagles and Coldplay. Other multiple nominees are Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Lil’ Wayne, Kanye West, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Usher, and several others. The only head-scratching category, oddly enough, is Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Group, where the nominees are G-Unit, Three six Mafia and Wu-Tang Clan. Jordin Sparks’s submission in the Adult Contemporary category is also a bit of a head scratcher. Something tells me the nominating committee struggled long and hard in order to come up with those names.

    The show will be hosted by the usually entertaining Jimmy Kimmel and will in all likelihood be live-blogged by yours truly. Expect the usual snark and wishes for a Michael Jackson sighting.

    The show airs on November 23rd, and in a new wrinkle, they’re allowing the public of the wide world of internets to vote on the winners. You can log on to vote here.

  • At The Wrecka’ Sto’: 11/6/07 Edition

    Novembers usually bring what the recording industry likes to call “Super Tuesdays”, when tons of “A”-list acts compete against one another for chart supremacy. With the industry in the state it’s in, the star quality of this November’s releases is slightly dimmer than usual, especially later in the month. But that’s not to say there’s not a couple of releases that have the capability of doing boffo business. To wit:

    It wouldn’t be the end of the year without a Jay-Z album, and 2007 is no different, but this one’s a doozy. His American Gangster is based on the movie of the same name, and comes with tons of pre-release hype calling it Jay’s best album in quite some time. This should be the album that reconnects him with his “street” audience, considering the glossy, mature “Kingdom Come” went over a lot of folks’ heads. For those who can’t get enough “Gangster”, the film’s official soundtrack comes out today, merging Seventies classics with new songs by the pristine-voiced soul singer Anthony Hamilton (whose new album comes out in February…I can’t wait).

    http://www.jayzonline.com

    In today’s game of Six Degrees of Separation from Jay-Z, there’s also a greatest hits album from former nemesis Nas. This album rounds up the biggest hits from his Columbia years, along with a new song called “Surviving The Time”. Considering this, is it really going to make sense to release a new album from Nas just a month from now?

    There are two albums that might challenge Jay’s cruise to the #1 spot next week. If you have a daughter under the age of 19, you probably know who Chris Brown is, although you’ve probably not heard his name unaccompanied by an “OMIGOD!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”. Filling in nicely for Usher during Ush’s prolonged absence, Brown is the latest of teen dreams. His sophomore release Exclusive, already contains two huge hits: “Wall To Wall” and “Kiss Kiss”, which is currently the #1 single in the country.

    http://www.chrisbrownworld.com

    Speaking of country, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about a release from a little guy named Garth Brooks. After 1999’s Chris Gaines fiasco, Brooks has been remarkably quiet, but the heat is being turned up. Not only was he recently awarded as the biggest selling American solo artist in HISTORY (sorry Elvis and Michael), but his new single “More Than A Memory” became the first to enter the U.S. Country charts at Number One. The Ultimate Hits is a 2-CD/1-DVD Hits compilation released and distributed by Garth himself (like he needs more money) and contains 4 new songs.

    http://www.garthbrooks.com

    And that’s not all, folks! There’s a new album from Blink-182 side project Angels & Airwaves, the comeback album from rapper Cassidy (following an overturned murder conviction and a near-fatal car accident) and, for those who are reissue crazy, a plethora of live albums (Jimmy Buffett, Bright Eyes, Barenaked Ladies, Five For Fighting…who the hell wants to see THEM live??), hits compilations (the 675th greatest hits album from Aerosmith, plus new comps from Van Morrison and Teddy Pendergrass), and…Christmas albums (from The Captain & Tennille and Rick Springfield!)

    Get a complete list of this week’s new releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm

    Happy shopping!!