September 14 2011 Chart News: George Strait Still King!

With nearly 92,000 copies sold, George Strait has the best-selling new release of the week and only fell behind juggernaut Adele and the second week of Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV. Below are some quick thoughts on the Top 200 Current Albums Chart this week and how it relates to country music’s Top 25.

• Here for A Good Time is George Strait’s 24th chart-topping album. The Title track is also his latest Top 10 hit.
• My Kinda Party was certified Double Platinum this week but sales to customers (not stores) is actually 1.8 million.
• Barefoot Blue Jean Night spent last week at #1. The title track is #1 this week with the album now #3.
• “Drink In My Hand” is already Top 30 in a matter of weeks for Eric Church. That song will likely guide Chief to Gold sales status very soon.
• Pistol Annies’s Hell On Heels is officially in stores everywhere and not just a digital release. It could score a sales increase next week because of this.
• Blake Shelton moves over 300,000 sold for Red River Blue  while Loaded…The Best of Blake Shelton has officially scanned 400,000. Both are likely to be certified Gold soon.
• The Band perry has sold 3/4 of a million copies of The Band Perry.
• Zac Brown Band’s You Get What You Give rounds out the Top 10 while their The Foundation is the 16th best-selling country album this week.
• Lady A’s Need You Now rebounded on the charts this week and the trio will see Own The Night debut at #1 next week.
• Life At Best  scanned past the 70,000 sold mark the very same week Eli Young Band scores their first Top 10 hit with “Crazy Girl.”
• Glen Campbell has sold 21,000 of Ghost on the Canvas in two weeks.
• Trace Adkins’ Proud To Be Here has now sold 100,000 copies.
• Billy Currington’s Enjoy Yourself has now sold nearly 400,000 copies.
• Sara Evans comeback album has now sold nearly 300,000 copies.

Next week we’ll see Lady A debut while other albums from The Dirt Drifters, Terri Clark, Brantley Gilbert (re-entry via deluxe edition of Hell On Wheels), Kristin Chenoweth and perhaps Kenny Vaughan and Reckless Kelly will debut on the chart.