Country Album Chart News For May 8, 2013: Kenny Chesney, Randy Rogers Band Debut; George Jones Sales Remain Strong

Kenny Chesney Returns To Charts With Seventh chart-topping album for the Soundscan (and Billboard) Top 200 Album Chart while Randy Rogers Band debuts in Top 10.

With 153,000 copies sold, Kenny Chesney’s Life On A Rock placed first on the chart this week, out selling #2 Michael Buble by nearly 60,000 copies. Chesney had this to say about garnering the #1 slot with Life On A Rock:

 “It’s a little surreal,” says the man who’s sold in excess of 30 million albums. “I did this almost as an act of faith, a belief in songwriting and capturing real life. Many of these songs I carried around in a notebook in my backpack – and wrote the music later. Some of them are 6, 7 years old. And when they started to come together as a song cycle, I didn’t know if I was crazy, or if this was the right thing to do.            

“The idea that it debuted at #1? Well, that tells me people, music fans care about songwriting and what you share… about looking back and moving on, something more than just partying and having a good time. So, in some ways, this (Top 200 debut) means as much to me or more.”

Meanwhile, back on the charts, Blake Shelton sits at #6 with his soon-to-be-Gold Based On A True Story.... Randy Rogers Band has Country’s third album in the Top 10 of this week’s Top 200 Albums chart as the MCA Nashville artists’ Trouble moved 26,000 copies of the record. The Band Perry are at #13 with Pioneer while their label mates Florida Georgia Line are right behind Pioneer with Here’s To The Good Times, the duo’s Gold-selling debut.

Luke Bryan’s Spring Break...Here To Party  and Brad Paisley’s Wheelhouse lead second Half of Country Music’s Top 10 Albums this week.

Luke Bryan’s Spring Break...Here To Party compilation of EP songs is the sixth best-selling country album this week. With another 13,000 fans taking home the album, Brad Paisley has now sold 165,000 copies of Wheelhouse in one month. Taylor Swift’s 3.64 million-seller RED has the #8 slot this week while at #9 is Eric Church’s live album Caught In The Act. The record has sold 107,000 copies in a month on this chart. Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories II is at #10 and has sold a very respectable 127,000 copies and returing it to the Top 10 after a few weeks outside this rundown.

Tim McGraw’s Two Lanes Of Freedom makes a move; George Jones Albums remain on charts.

Little Big Town leads our notable albums this week with Tornado, it sold marginally better than last week. Meanwhile Tim McGraw’s Two Lanes Of Freedom gains a nice sales percentage on the chart this week. He placed four albums on last week’s chart and George Jones continues to see fans return to his music nearly two weeks after passing away as three of them hit the Top 200 this week, with 16 Biggest Hits the biggest seller, once again. Tate Stevens was in last week’s Top 10 and slides outside the Top 20 this week with Tate Stevens. “The X Factor” winner will see his sales improve as his singles resonate with audiences. Finally, we showcase Pistol Annies’ Hell On Heels (as a bonus notable) as it has now sold just under 500,000 copies the week of their sophomore album Annie Up’s release.

The coming week’s chart will feature a string of new albums including Lady Antebellum’s Golden, Pistol Annies Annie Up, Craig Campbell’s Never Regret, Daily & Vincent’s Brothers Of The Highway and Mickie James' Somebody’s Gonna Pay.

Top 10 Country Albums for This Week with six Notable Albums (SoundScan Top 200 Albums Chart Placement)*

*Numbers rounded to nearest thousandth.