Billboard: Bon Jovi Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200

Billboard 200: Bon Jovi earns another no. 1 album with This House is Not for Sale. R&B standout Alicia Keys (Here) settles for no. 2.

It didn’t even come close.  Bon Jovi easily debuts at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with This House is Not for Sale.  Contextually, the numbers for the veteran rock band are robust.  This House is Not for Sale moved 129,000 units, with 99% of that total being pure sales.  It’s amazing that a veteran rock band past their prime can outsell numerous youthful, seemingly more relevant acts. Kudos Bon Jovi, kudos.

After Bon Jovi, it all goes downhill.  A once invincible Alicia Keys has cooled off tremendously. Like many of her R&B contemporaries, Keys seems past her lucrative prime.  Here lands at no. 2 – her second album that failed to top the charts (The Element of Freedom, 2009).  The problem isn’t missing no. 1 – it’s how badly she missed no. 1.  Here starts with just 50,000 units, with 84% of that total amounting to pure sales.  That’s by far Keys’ worst showing.

The Chainsmokers earn a spot in the top 10 with EP Collage.  Despite the popularity of “Closer,” the song that seems nowhere near fading, Collage debuts quietly at no. 6.  39,000 units doesn’t sound tepid, but the sales only comprise 23% of that total. Phew! Now 60 also sneaks into the top 10, at no. 7 (36,000 units).  Interestingly, there used to be a time where Now used to run up the numbers. Not anymore apparently.

Beyond the four new releases gracing the top 10, the rest of the albums have previously debuted.  That means that other new releases, like Common (Black America Again) didn’t perform well enough to nab top-10 honors.  For Common especially, this sucks.  The MC had a span of time where he had the top-10 swagger going on. Be debuted at no. 2 in 2005 while Finding Forever debuted at no. 1 in 2007.  Beyond those two, his performance slipped: Universal Mind Control debuted at no. 12, The Dreamer/The Believer at no. 18, while Nobody’s Smiling rebounded into the top-10 at no. 6.

The most intriguing part of the rest of the top 10 are albums that saw sparks in performance. The Trolls soundtrack ascends into the top 3 (47,000 units).  Pentatonix sees A Pentatonix Christmas rebound to no. 4 after slipping last week.  This could signal that Pentatonix has THE Christmas album that is destined to pick up traction.  Rae Sremmurd are the biggest surprise, as Sremmlife 2 hits the top-five (for the first time), thanks to mega-hit “Black Beatles.”

The rest of the top 10 includes Drake (Views) and Kenny Chesney (Cosmic Hallelujah). Notably, Chesney slips from no. 2 to no. 10.  Even more notable are the exits of Jeezy (Trap or Die 3), Meek Mill (DC4), Avenged Sevenfold (The Stage), and Lady Gaga (Joanne).  Jeezy debuted at no. 1 last week, beating Kenny Chesney by a nose.  Similarly, Meek Mill and Avenged Sevenfold all posted respectable numbers.  This week, all of them exit the top 10.

Who’s got next on the Billboard 200? A Tribe Called Quest may surprise, releasing their first and final album in 18 years (We Got it From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service).  Sting (57^th & 9^th) should also make an impact…albeit small.  Hopefully, Emeli Sandé (Long Live the Angels) and Nathan Sykes (Unfinished Business) are in the mix.

Photo Credit: Island