1. Luke Bryan–“Strip it Down” (2nd week at #1)
2. Old Dominion–“Break Up With Him” (up 2)
3. Florida Georgia Line–“Anything Goes”
4. Cole Swindell–“Let Me See Ya Girl” (up 1)
5. Carrie Underwood–“Smoke Break” (up 3)
6. Dan + Shay–“Nothin’ Like You” (up 3)
7. Chris Young–“I’m Comin’ Over” (up 3)
8. Blake Shelton–“Gonna” (up 3)
9. Kenny Chesney–“Save It For a Rainy Day” (down 2)
10. Chase Rice–“Gonna Wanna Tonight” (down 8)
11. Jason Aldean–“Gonna Know We Were Here” (up 1)
12. Cam–“Burning House” (up 1)
13. Tim McGraw–“Top of the World” (up 1)
14. Brothers Osborne–“Stay a Little Longer” (up 1)
15. Parmalee–“Already Callin’ You Mine” (up 2)
16. Big & Rich–“Run Away With You”
17. Jana Kramer–“I Got the Boy” (up 1)
18. Kelsea Ballerini–“Dibs” (up 1)
19. LoCash–“I Love This Life” (up 1)
20. Thomas Rhett–“Die a Happy Man” (up 1)
21. Brad Paisley–“Country Nation” (up 2)
22. Randy Houser–“We Went” (up 2)
23. Sam Hunt–“Break Up in a Small Town” (down 1)
24. Granger Smith–“Back Road Song” (up 2)
25. Hunter Hayes–“21”
26. A Thousand Horses–(“This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial” (up 1)
27. Chase Bryant–“Little Bit of You” (up 1)
28. Dierks Bentley–“Riser” (entering top 30)
29. Lee Brice–“That Don’t Sound Like You” (up 1)
30. Zac Brown Band–“Beautiful Drug” (entering top 30)
new #1: “Strip it Down”
next week’s #1 prediction: “Break up With Him”
Brett Eldredge’s “Lose My Mind” went recurrent and fell from #6 to out of the top 30
The Band Perry’s “Live Forever” fell from #29 to #32
Dierks Bentley’s excellent “Riser” and Zac Brown Band’s EDM “Beautiful Drug” enter the top 30 this week
Billboard Top Country Albums
1. Luke Bryan–Kill the Lights
2. Thomas Rhett–Tangled Up
3. George Strait–Cold Beer Conversation
4. Don Henley–Cass County
5. Sam Hunt–Montevallo
6. Toby Keith–35 Mph Town
7. Kane Brown–Closer (EP)
8. Jana Kramer–Thirty One
9. Eric Church–The Outsiders
10. Zac Brown Band–Jekyll + Hyde
11. Brett Eldredge–Illinois
12. Alabama–Southern Drawl
13. Jason Aldean–Old Boots, New Dirt
14. Maddie & Tae–Start Here
15. Little Big Town–Painkiller
16. Jason Boland & The Stragglers–Squelch
17. Florida Georgia Line–Anything Goes
18. LeAnn Rimes–Today is Christmas [debut]
19. Brantley Gilbert–Just as I Am
20. Alan Jackson–Angels and Alcohol
21. Chase Rice–Ignite the Night
22. Stoney LaRue–Us Time [debut]
23. Various Artists–Now That’s What I Call Country, Volume 8
24. Carrie Underwood–Greatest Hits: Decade #1
25. Zac Brown Band–Greatest Hits So Far…
Luke Bryan’s Kill the Lights remains at the top
George Strait and Don Henley show no signs of slowing down, at #3 and #4
Stoney LaRue’s fan tribute album Us Time debuts at #22
1. Luke Bryan–“Strip It Down” (up 1)
2. Chase Rice–“Gonna Wanna Tonight” (up 3)
3. Florida Georgia Line–“Anything Goes” (up 2)
4. Old Dominion–“Break Up With Him” (up 1)
5. Cole Swindell–“Let Me See Ya Girl” (up 2)
6. Brett Eldredge–“Lose my Mind” (down 5)
7. Kenny Chesney–“Save It for a Rainy Day” (down 4)
8. Carrie Underwood–“Smoke Break”
9. Dan + Shay–“Nothin’ Like You” (up 1)
10. Chris Young–“I’m Comin’ Over” (up 2)
11. Blake Shelton–“Gonna”
12. Jason Aldean–“Gonna Know We Were Here” (up 2)
13. Cam–“Burning House” (up 3)
14. Tim McGraw–“Top of the World” (up 1)
15. Brothers Osborne–“Stay a Little Longer” (up 2)
16. Big & Rich–“Run Away With You” (up 2)
17. Parmalee–“Already Callin’ You Mine” (up 2)
18. Jana Kramer–“I Got the Boy” (up 3)
19. Kelsea Ballerini–“Dibs” (up 1)
20. LoCash–“I Love This Life” (up 2)
21. Thomas Rhett–“Die a Happy Man” (up 4)
22. Sam Hunt–“Break Up in a Small Town” (up 5) [biggest gainer, sadly]
23. Brad Paisley–“Country Nation”
24. Randy Houser–“We Went”
25. Hunter Hayes–“21”
26. Granger Smith–“Back Road Song” (entering top 30)
27. A Thousand Horses–(“This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial” (up 1)
28. Chase Bryant–“Little Bit of You” (up 2)
29. The Band Perry–“Live Forever”
30. Lee Brice–“That Don’t Sound Like You” (entering top 30)
new #1: “Strip it Down”
next week’s #1 prediction: “Strip it Down”
Maddie & Tae’s “Fly” and Keith Urban’s “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” fell from #9 and #13, respectively, to out of the top 30
Lee Brice’s mediocre “That Don’t Sound Like You” enters at #30 this week
Chase Rice’s terrible, bland, unforgettable “Gonna Wanna Tonight” has literally been on this chart for a year…
Billboard Top Country Albums
1. Luke Bryan–Kill the Lights
2. Toby Keith–35 Mph Town [debut]
3. Jana Kramer–Thirty-One [debut]
4. Don Henley–Cass County
5. George Strait–Cold Beer Conversation
6. Thomas Rhett–Tangled Up
7. Sam Hunt–Montevallo
8. Kane Brown–Closer (EP)
9. Alabama–Southern Drawl
10. Zac Brown Band–Jekyll + Hyde
11. Jason Boland & The Stragglers–Squelch [debut]
12. Brett Eldredge–Illinois
13. Eric Church–The Outsiders
14. Maddie & Tae–Start Here
15. Little Big Town–Painkiller
16. Florida Georgia Line–Anything Goes
17. Jason Aldean–Old Boots, New Dirt
18. Brantley Gilbert–Just as I Am
19. Alan Jackson–Angels and Alcohol
20. Josh Thompson–Change: the Lost Record Vol. 1 (EP) [debut]
21. Various Artists–Now That’s What I Call Country, Volume 8
22. Chase Rice–Ignite the Night
23. Alabama–Angels Among Us: Hymns and Gospel Favorites
24. Zac Brown Band–Greatest Hits So Far…
25. Kelsea Ballerini–The First Time
unfortunately, Luke Bryan is back at the top of this chart
four albums debuted on the chart this week…incidentally, the only one really worth checking out is Squelch
1. Brett Eldredge–“Lose My Mind” (up 1)
2. Luke Bryan–“Strip it Down” (up 1)
3. Kenny Chesney–“Save It For a Rainy Day” (down 2)
4. Florida Georgia Line–“Anything Goes” (up 1)
5. Chase Rice–“Gonna Wanna Tonight” (up 1)
6. Old Dominion–“Break up With Him” (up 1)
7. Cole Swindell–“Let Me See Ya Girl” (up 1)
8. Carrie Underwood–“Smoke Break” (up 1)
9. Maddie & Tae–“Fly” (up 1)
10. Dan + Shay–“Nothin’ Like You” (up 1)
11. Blake Shelton–“Gonna” (up 1)
12. Chris Young–“I’m Comin’ Over” (up 1)
13. Keith Urban–“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” (down 9)
14. Jason Aldean–“Gonna Know We Were Here”
15. Tim McGraw–“Top of the World”
16. Cam–“Burning House”
17. Brothers Osborne–“Stay a Little Longer”
18. Big & Rich–“Run Away With You”
19. Parmalee–“Already Callin’ You Mine”
20. Kelsea Ballerini–“Dibs”
21. Jana Kramer–“I Got the Boy” (up 1)
22. LoCash–“I Love This Life” (down 1)
23. Brad Paisley–“Country Nation” (up 1)
24. Randy Houser–“We Went” (up 1)
25. Hunter Hayes–“21” (down 2)
26. Thomas Rhett–“Die a Happy Man” (up 4)
27. Sam Hunt–“Break Up in a Small Town” (down 1)
28. A Thousand Horses–(“This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial” (down 1)
29. The Band Perry–“Live Forever” (down 1)
30. Chase Bryant–“Little Bit of You” (re-entering top 30)
new #1: “Lose My Mind”
next week’s #1 prediction: “Strip it Down
Jake Owen’s “Real Life” fell from #29 to out of the top 30
Chase Bryant’s “Little Bit of You” is back in the top 30 this week
Billboard Top Country Albums
1. George Strait–Cold Beer Conversation
2. Don Henley–Cass County
3. Thomas Rhett–Tangled Up
4. Luke Bryan–Kill the Lights
5. Sam Hunt–Montevallo
6. Zac Brown Band–Jekyll + Hyde
7. Alabama–Southern Drawl
8. Brett Eldredge–Illinois
9. Eric Church–The Outsiders
10. Kane Brown–Closer (EP)
11. Maddie & Tae–Start Here
12. The Wood Brothers–Paradise [debut]
13. Little Big Town–Painkiller
14. Florida Georgia Line–Anything Goes
15. Jason Aldean–Old Boots, New Dirt
16. Alan Jackson–Angels and Alcohol
17. Brantley Gilbert–Just as I Am
18. Clint Black–On Purpose
19. Alabama–Hymns and Gospel Favorites
20. Various Artists–Now That’s What I Call Country, Volume 8
21. Chase Rice–Ignite the Night
22. Turnpike Troubadours–The Turnpike Troubadours
23. Kacey Musgraves–Pageant Material
24. Jason Isbell–Something More Than Free
25. Zac Brown Band–Greatest Hits So Far…
George Strait’s Cold Beer Conversation hits the top this weekk
Thomas Rhett’s Tangled Up has yet to get a #1 distinction
1. Kenny Chesney–“Save It for a Rainy Day” (3rd week at #1)
2. Brett Eldredge–“Lose My Mind” (up 1)
3. Luke Bryan–“Strip It Down” (up 1)
4. Keith Urban–“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” (down 2)
5. Florida Georgia Line–“Anything Goes”
6. Chase Rice–“Gonna Wanna Tonight” (up 2)
7. Old Dominion–“Break Up With Him” (down 1)
8. Cole Swindell–“Let Me See Ya Girl” (up 2)
9. Carrie Underwood–“Smoke Break” (down 2)
10. Maddie & Tae–“Fly” (up 1)
11. Dan + Shay–“Nothin’ Like You” (up 1)
12. Blake Shelton–“Gonna” (up 1)
13. Chris Young–“I’m Comin’ Over” (up 1)
14. Jason Aldean–“Gonna Know We Were Here” (up 1)
15. Tim McGraw–“Top of the World” (up 1)
16. Cam–“Burning House” (up 1)
17. Brothers Osborne–“Stay a Little Longer” (up 2)
18. Big & Rich–“Run Away With You” (up 3)
19. Parmalee–“Already Callin’ You Mine” (up 1)
20. Kelsea Ballerini–“Dibs” (up 2)
21. LoCash–“I Love This Life” (up 2)
22. Jana Kramer–“I Got the Boy” (up 2)
23. Hunter Hayes–“21” (up 2)
24. Brad Paisley–“Country Nation” (up 2)
25. Randy Houser–“We Went” (up 3)
26. Sam Hunt–“Break up in a Small Town” (entering top 30)
27. A Thousand Horses–(“This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial” (up 3)
28. The Band Perry–“Live Forever” (down 1)
29. Jake Owen–“Real Life” (down 11)
30. Thomas Rhett–“Die a Happy Man” (entering top 30)
Kenny Chesney’s “Save It for a Rainy Day” remains at the top for a 3rd week
next week’s #1 prediction: “Lose My Mind
Sam Hunt’s horrible “Break up in a Small Town” and Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” enter the top 30 this week
Chris Janson’s “Buy Me a Boat” fell from #9 to out of the top 30
Chase Bryant’s “Little Bit of You” fell from #29 to #31
Billboard Top Country Albums
What a victory for country music!
1. Don Henley–Cass County [debut]
2. George Strait–Cold Beer Conversation [debut]
3. Thomas Rhett–Tangled Up [debut]
4. Luke Bryan–Kill the Lights
5. Sam Hunt–Montevallo
6. Alabama–Southern Drawl
7. Brett Eldredge–Illinois
8. Zac Brown Band–Jekyll + Hyde
9. Eric Church–The Outsiders
10. Florida Georgia Line–Anything Goes
11. Little Big Town–Painkiller
12. Maddie & Tae–Start Here
13. Clint Black–On Purpose [debut]
14. Alan Jackson–Angels and Alcohol
15. Jason Aldean–Old Boots, New Dirt
16. Turnpike Troubadours–Turnpike Troubadours
17. Brantley Gilbert–Just as I Am
18. Kacey Musgraves–Pageant Material
19. Various Artists–Now That’s What I Call Country, Volume 8
20. Chase Rice–Ignite the Night
21. Chris Stapleton–Traveller
22. Kip Moore–Wild Ones
23. Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard–Django and Jimmie
24. Home Free–Country Evolution
25. Jason Isbell–Something More Than Free
Don Henley’s Cass County and George Strait’s Cold Beer Conversation each sold more than 80,000 copies, coming in at #1 and #2
Thomas Rhett’s Tangled Up missed Strait by 20,000 copies and came in at #3…this is the best sentence I have ever written on this blog
Clint Black’s On Purpose unimpressively debuts at #13
1. Kenny Chesney–“Save It for a Rainy Day” (2nd week a #1)
2. Keith Urban–“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”
3. Brett Eldredge–“Lose my Mind” (up 1)
4. Luke Bryan–“Strip It Down” (up 2)
5. Florida Georgia Line–“Anything Goes” (up 2)
6. Old Dominion–“Break Up With Him” (up 5) [tied for biggest gainer]
7. Carrie Underwood–“Smoke Break” (up 2)
8. Chase Rice–“Gonna Wanna Tonight”
9. Chris Janson–“Buy Me a Boat” (down 6)
10. Cole Swindell–“Let Me See Ya Girl” (up 2)
11. Maddie & Tae–“Fly” (down 1)
12. Dan + Shay–“Nothin’ Like You” (up 1)
13. Blake Shelton–“Gonna” (up 1)
14. Chris Young–“I’m Comin’ Over” (up 1)
15. Jason Aldean–“Gonna Know We Were Here” (up 5) [tied for biggest gainer]
16. Tim McGraw–“Top of the World” (up 2)
17. Cam–“Burning House” (up 2)
18. Jake Owen–“Real Life” (down 1)
19. Brothers Osborne–“Stay a Little Longer” (up 2)
20. Parmalee–“Already Callin’ You Mine” (up 3)
21. Big & Rich–“Run Away With You” (up 1)
22. Kelsea Ballerini–“Dibs” (up 2)
23. LoCash–“I Love This Life” (up 2)
24. Jana Kramer–“I Got the Boy” (up 2)
25. Hunter Hayes–“21” (up 2)
26. Brad Paisley–“Country Nation” (entering top 30)
27. The Band Perry–“Live Forever” (up 1)
28. Randy Houser–“We Went” (entering top 30)
29. Chase Bryant–“Little Bit of You” (up 1)
30. A Thousand Horses–(“This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial” (down 1)
Kenny Chesney’s “Save It for a Rainy Day” remains at the top for a 2nd week
next week’s #1 prediction: “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”
Thomas Rhett’s “Crash and Burn” and Lady Antebellum’s “Long Stretch of Love” fell from #5 and #16, respectively, to out of the top 30
Brad Paisley’s mediocre “Country Nation” and Randy Houser’s unoriginal “We Went” enter the top 30 this week
Billboard Top Country Albums
1. Luke Bryan–Kill the Lights
2. Alabama–Southern Drawl [debut]
3. Turnpike Troubadours–The Turnpike Troubadours [debut]
4. Home Free–Country Evolution [debut]
5. Brett Eldredge–Illinois
6. Sam Hunt–Montevallo
7. Eric Church–The Outsiders
8. Zac Brown Band–Jekyll + Hyde
9. Florida Georgia Line–Anything Goes
10. Little Big Town–Painkiller
11. Maddie & Tae–Start Here
12. Jason Aldean–Old Boots, New Dirt
13. Alan Jackson–Angels and Alcohol
14. Brantley Gilbert–Just as I Am
15. Various Artists–Now That’s What I Call Country, Volume 8
16. Kacey Musgraves–Pageant Material
17. Kip Moore–Wild Ones
18. Chris Stapleton–Traveller
19. Chase Rice–Ignite the Night
20. Zac Brown Band–Greatest Hits So Far…
21. Jason Isbell–Something More Than Free
22. Carrie Underwood–Greatest Hits: Decade #1
23. Elvis Presley–Elvis Presley Forever
24. Cole Swindell–Cole Swindell
25. Alabama–Angels Among Us: Hymns & Gospel Favorites
Luke Bryan is back on top with the unfortunate Kill the Lights
Turnpike Troubadours debut at #3 with their brilliant self-titled album…if you have not listened to and/or bought this, do it now
Alabama’s Southern Drawl debuts at #2
at least Sam Hunt was not in the top 5 for once
seriously, who is buying these Now That’s What I Call Country albums?