This Week In Music (V.12): Chart News + Upcoming Albums

Another week has come and gone and it’s time to weekly music recap. Let’s get into CHART NEWS! When it comes to the Billboard 200, Miranda Lambert debuted at #1 with her latest studio album, Platinum. She’s also tops the Top Country Albums chart as well. Coming in at #2 is the Frozen Soundtrack. Last week it was in at #4, but has surged back to #2. Brantley Gilbert, Just as I Am, ranks at #3 and 50 Cent’s, Animal Ambition, debuts at #4. Coldplay’s, Ghost Stories, has fallen 4 spots to #5 after being at #1 for three weeks. Now 50 comes in at #6, Led Zepplin takes the 7, 9, and 10 spots with Led Zepplin, Led Zepplin II, and Led Zepplin III. In the #8 spot after an amazing weekend at the box office is The Fault In Our Stars Soundtrack.

As for the Hot 100, there has been no movement in the top 4 spots. ‘Fancy’ is in at #1, ‘Problem’ #2, ‘All of Me’ at #3, and ‘Turn Down for What’ at #4. Jason Derulo moved up 5 spots this week with his new track ‘Wiggle’ featuring Snoop Doggg. Pharrell drops to #6, but ‘Happy’ still manages to remain in the top 10. Magic! moved up a spot to #7 with their debut ‘Rude’. Nico & Vinz dropped two spots from last week to #8 with their track ‘Am I Wrong?’, Calvin Harris comes in at #9 with ‘Summer’, and Sam Smith rounds off the top 10 with ‘Stay With Me’.

Moving on to upcoming albums there have been 3 that caught my eye and two happen to be R&B. I know it’s nowhere what it used to be, but I love to see artists that stay true to the genre that made them. The Think Like a Man Too Soundtrack will be released Tuesday (6.17) and it has Mary J. Blige all over it, literally. All tracks are by the Queen and have a few features. Be sure to check my last post for the official track listing PLUS be on the lookout for ‘My Top 5’ on the album.

J. Lo will also be competing to see how she ranks on the charts with her new album, A.K.A., also hitting retailers and online Tuesday (6.17). From what I’ve heard so far it’s bleh to me. I’m really not interested. I’ll be posting the track listing to the album tomorrow (6.15) plus video teasers. In the meantime, check out the audio snippets of the album below:

https://soundcloud.com/mymotherfuckingsong/jennifer-lopez-aka-snippets

In addition to the MJB and J. Lo albums being released Tuesday, Sam Smith, Linkin Park and Lana Del Rey will be releasing new albums as well. Sam Smith will be releasing his debut, In the Lonely Hour, Linkin Park will be releasing their 6th studio album, Hunting Party, and Lana Del Rey releases her third, Ultraviolence. Stay tuned tomorrow (6.15) for official track listings. Click here for In The Lonely Hour track listing.

There are more album release dates and titles that have been released as well. Robin Thicke is far from letting his estranged wife, Paula Patton, go and he’s making it known with his upcoming album Paula. His track, ‘Get Her Back‘ , was dedicated to her so with an album titled after her of course it will be professing his love, rights, wrongs, etc. He will be performing new material at the 2014 BET Awards (6.29). 

Marsha Ambrosious will be releasing her sophomore album, Friends & Lovers, soon, like next month soon. The album is set to be released July 15th and will feature 15 tracks with production from Pop & Oak, Da Internz, Eric Hudson, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, and more. Target will carry a deluxe special edition with three additional tracks. Check out the video below to her latest single ‘Run’.

Lastly, Tank will be releasing his 6th studio album, Stronger, August 12th. In an interview with ThisIsRnB, he discussed the direction of the album:

“It’s just an album that speaks to a different place [where] I am in my life and my career. I’m having more fun in life and that deserves tempo. R&B deserves that energy and I think that energy appeals to more people.”

Check out the video to his single,’You’re My Star’, below:

When it comes to summer blockbuster tours, Beyoncé and Jay Z are not the only ones hitting the road. Drake and Lil Wayne have announced that they’ll be hitting the road in the ‘Drake Vs Lil Wayne’ tour. Click here for more info. Keyshia Cole will also be hitting the road for her ‘Point of No Return’ tour. Click here for more info.

Rick Ross Scores 5th #1 Album

The numbers are in from last weeks music releases and Rick Ross trumps all. Rick Ross’, Mastermind, lands in at #1 on the Billboard 200 making this his 5th #1 on the chart. It sold $179K in the release which is less than that of his 2012 album, God Forgives, I Don’t, which sold $218K in its first week. His 2010 album, Teflon Don, has been his only album not to take the #1 spot. He joins DMX and 2Pac with 5 #1 albums, Nas & Kanye tie for 6, Eminem has 7 and Jay Z leads the pack with 13.

Rick Ross wasn’t the only one worth mentioning for chart position. Pharrell, Lea Michele , and Ashanti all made it in the top 10. Pharrrel’s sophomore album, G I R L, came in at #2. ‘Happy’ still tops the charts and with 490K downloads this week it becomes the highest selling digital sales track since Katy Perry’s,’Roar.’ Lea Michele debuted at #4 with Louder and Ashanti’s Braveheart came in at #10 rounding off the list.  Braveheart is now Ashanti’s 5th top 10 album.

Lorde’s, Pure Heroine, Hits 1 Million

April 2011 marked the first huge benchmark for Adele when her debut album, 19, sold over a million by the end of the April 3rd week. Now three years later Lorde is now added to this elite class by being the first woman to debut and hit the  million mark since Adele with her debut album, Pure Heroine. In addition, she’s the first debut album to hit the mark since Hunter Hayes’ self-titled debut passed the million mark in October 2013.

Aside from her debut record, she becomes the second woman this year to reach a million. Katy Perry’s, PRISM, was the first. In the entire year of 2013 Beyonce’s unexpected self titled album release was the only female album to hit the million mark. As Billboard stated in their article:

 …had Beyonce not released her surprise album, 2013 wouldn’t have had a million-seller by a female artist.

Lorde is still in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and has not left the chart since her October 19, 2013 debut. Her debut and Grammy award winning single, ‘Royals,’ spent 9 weeks at #1 in 2013 and the second single ‘Team’ remains in the top 10 on the Hot 100. Her new single, ‘Glory & Gove’ has debuted at #88 on the Hot 100. We’ll see where that goes.

CONGRATS!