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Louis Tomlinson strolls to a lead in the U.K. chart race with Faith In The Future (via BMG). But there’s a Boss to contend with.
Tomlinson, the former One Direction star, leads the Official Chart Update with Faith In The Future, his second solo effort. As a member of 1D, Tomlinson triumphed over the national albums survey on four occasions, and his debut solo set, 2020’s Walls, peaked at No. 4.
The home straight could have some obstacles for Tomlinson, as Bruce Springsteen’s Only The Strong Survive (Columbia) sits close behind in second place.
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Springsteen’s 21st studio album is a collection of soul covers. To date, the Rock And Roll Hall of Famer has 22 U.K. top 10 albums, including 12 No. 1s — equal third-best among solo acts, after Robbie Williams (14) and Elvis Presley (13), respectively.
According to the Official Charts Company, fewer than 1,200 chart sales split the two albums at the halfway point.
As it currently stands, the top five is closed out by a trio of former leaders, Taylor Swift’s Midnights (down 2-3 via EMI), Drake & 21 Savage’s Her Loss (down 1-4, via OVO/Republic Records), and Ed Sheeran’s = (up 10-5, via Asylum).
Christmas is just around the corner, and the festive releases are ready to make the annual march into the charts.
British classical crossover stars Aled Jones and Russell Watson could bag a third U.K. top 10 as a duo with Christmas With Aled & Russell (BMG). It’s new at No. 8 on the chart blast.
Andrea Bocelli’s family record A Family Christmas (via Decca), featuring son Matteo and daughter Virginia, could be this week’s big gainer, notes the OCC, lifting 58-13 on the midweek chart for a possible new peak position.
Just outside the top ten at the midweek point is Nigerian artist Wizkid with his fifth LP More Love, Less Ego (Columbia). It’s on track for a No. 12 debut, which would become the Afrobeat act’s career U.K. peak, improving on the No. 15 best for 2020’s Made in Lagos.
Also aiming for a top 20 debut is U.S. roots-rock act Larkin Poe, with seventh album Blood Harmony. It’s set for a No. 15 entry, for what would be the band’s first top 40 entry.
And finally, Christine & The Queens are poised for a top 20 return with Redcar les adorables étoiles (prologue) (via Because Music), new at No. 17 on the chart blast. The French act has impacted the U.K. chart on three occasions, including a No. 2 on debut for 2016’s Chaleur Humaine, and a No. 3 peak for its 2018 followup Chris.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday (Nov. 18).
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When she performs live, Pink never phones it in. When she announces her tour buddy, however, she just has to use her mobile.
The pop superstar has tapped country star Brandi Carlile to join her on tour, breaking the good news with a fun, viral video.
In the clip, the pair are sat beside one another, and dressed to impress.
Pink apologizes as she makes a “really important phone call.” She’s not lying. Carlile picks up and the pair get down to business.
“I was really afraid to ask you this question to your face,” Pink opens. “Oh, I’m married,” Carlile interjects.
Right, true. “You love your wife,” confirms Pink, who follows up with her big question: “will you come on tour with me?”
Carlile responds with an appropriate “f*** yeah,” and a quizzical, “are we doing this?”
Yes indeed, and the pair sign it with a high five.
Pink and Brandi warmed up earlier this month when they joined forces for a performance of Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, held Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.
The big show will hit the road next year for the Summer Carnival, kicking off June 7, 2023 at University of Bolton Stadium, the first of several U.K. dates, followed by shows across continental Europe. North American shows haven’t been unveiled, and, at the time of writing, it’s unclear which concerts Carlile will jump on.
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The Summer Carnival is the followup to Pink’s Beautiful Trauma World Tour, which wrapped in 2019, and it’s her first major jaunt since the release of Hurts 2B Human in the same year. Hurts 2B Human debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, for Pink’s third leader.
In These Silent Days, Carlile’s seventh studio album, reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 following its 2021 release, and made No. 1 on Top Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Americana/Folk Albums.
First, induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. Now, Dolly Parton has been feted with a $100 million award from Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos for her philanthropic work.
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The iconic singer and songwriter is the latest recipient of the Bezos Courage & Civility Award, which recognizes “leaders who aim high, find solutions and who always do it with civility,” comments journalist and Bezos’ partner Lauren Sanchez.
Each awardee is expected to direct the sum to “the charities that they see fit,” adds Sanchez during a presentation, posted to social channels Sunday (Nov. 13).
Parton, notes Bezos, “embodies these ideas so thoroughly. She gives with her heart, what she’s done for kids, and literacy and so many other things, is just incredible.” She will “put this $100 million award to great use helping so many people,” he continues.
Parton was typically modest of her fine work. “When people are in a position to help, you should help. And I know that I’ve always said, I try to put my money where my heart is,” she said as she took the podium to receive the award. “I will do my best to do good things with this money.”
In a record-smashing music career spanning six decades, Parton has written roughly 3,000 songs and recorded more than 50 studio albums — with the promise of more to come.
Parton’s “living legend” status extends well beyond the world of music. The 76-year-old Tennessee native has founded a string of charities including the Dollywood Foundation, which focuses on education and poverty relief. Last year, it emerged that she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University’s Medical Center to help develop a vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was included in the Time 100 and People of the Year honors, raised $700,000 for Tennessee flood relief and found the time to release a new fragrance.
During her speech at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Nov. 5, 2022 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, she teased an upcoming rock album. She also treated the audience to a new rock song that had her declaring: “I still got rock and roll down in my country soul.”
Amazon’s Courage and Civility award was started in 2021, with prizes bestowed to activist Van Jones, who served as founding CEO of the REFORM Alliance and Dream Corps, and chef and humanitarian Jose Andres, who established World Central Kitchen, which provides food in disaster-hit areas around the globe.
Joe Walsh and a bunch of his friends offered plenty of musical service to those who have given service to the country on Sunday night (Nov. 13) in Columbus, Ohio.
Walsh’s sixth VetsAid benefit concert, held at Nationwide Arena, was a homecoming of sorts that brought an all-Ohio bill — the James Gang and Nine Inch Nails from Cleveland, Akron’s Black Keys, the Breeders from Dayton and Dave Grohl from Warren — together for a nearly six-hour show that raised money for grass-roots military veterans organizations either based in Ohio or that ear-marked the funds they received for programs in the state. It’s a cause close to Walsh’s heart; his father, a First Lieutenant in the Army Air Force, was killed in a crash while stationed on Okinawa when Walsh was just 20 months old.
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“When I found myself in a position where I could in some way give back to our nation’s veterans how could I not?” Walsh — who spent some of his youth in Columbus — said during a pre-show press conference. “Seeing how rock ‘n’ roll is something I do best, it’s also the least I could do for those who served and continue to serve our country. So we started VetsAid bringing together the two things that saved my life over and over again – the friends I’ve made and the music we’ve played together.”
Walsh — who had a street named after him near the arena earlier in the week — noted that “The buzz backstage is…a fellowship of musicians. We’re gonna get to know each other and compare notes — and make a big list of people we don’t like.”
Walsh’s wife Marjorie, one of VetsAid’s co founders, choked up as she related that “Dave Grohl just said to me here, ‘Thank you for bringing me home…All the guys have said to that to me. It’s big stuff.” Grohl, in fact, visited his childhood home in Warren earlier Sunday, while Walsh was planning a visit to his on Monday. He also reveled in spending time with one of his best childhood friends, Terry Hatzo, a Vietnam veteran who came home to become a first responder.
Beyond their own highlights, the musicians provided plenty of delights for fans at the concert during their respective 45-minute sets – though planned host Drew Carey was absent due to COVID-19. The best moments of this year’s VetsAid included:
Lots Of Dave For The DollarRepaying Walsh and the James Gang for their participation in the two Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts in September, Grohl lived up to his “special guest” status with several appearances on stage Sunday. He closed the Breeders’ set by guesting on guitar and backing vocals for a rendition of the Pixies’ “Gigantic,” then did the same for Walsh and James Gang by playing drums on “Funk #49.” The Foo Fighters frontman also hopped on with Walsh and his solo band, playing guitar on “Life’s Been Good” and drums on “Rocky Mountain Way.”
The Greatest Band In All The LandThe lauded Ohio State Marching Band kicked things off with its anthem, the McCoys’ “Hang on Sloopy” — with a drum major in full baton-twirling motion — followed by “The Star Spangled Banner.”
The Breeders Honor OhioAmidst its own favorites such as “Divine Hammer,” “Do You Love Me Now?” and “Cannonball,” thequartet offered a couple of welcome nods to its home state — covering “Shocker in Gloomtown” by fellow Daytonites Guided By Voices and, later in the set, “Drivin’ on 9,” an Ed’s Redeeming Qualities song co-written by Dom Leone of Youngstown, Ohio and covered by the Breeders on 1993’s Last Splash.
The James Gang Rides, And Reigns SupremeThe VetsAid appearance was billed as “One Last Ride” for Walsh and compatriots Jimmy Fox and Dale Peters. Walsh backed off that during a recent interview with Billboard, and on Sunday the trio — aided by a keyboardist and three backing vocalists — didn’t sound like it was anywhere near finished as it tore through covers (Howard Tate’s “Stop,” Albert King’s “You’re Gonna Need Me”), songs that have been on the bench for 15 years or longer (“Tend My Garden,” “Asshtonpark,” “Midnight Man” and “Collage”), an epic “Walk Away” and the crowd-pleasing medley of “The Bomber,” “Closet Queen,” “Bolero” and “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” – all before Grohl’s guest shot.
The Black Keys Go BackDan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have enough material to fill an entire VetsAid themselves and made sure to include plenty of hits — “Fever,” “Gold on the Ceiling,” “Lonely Boy” and a beautifully rendered “Little Black Submarines” among them. But they showed some home state love as well, with Auerbach preceding “Your Touch” by remembering that “this is a song we cut back in the day in a basement down in Akron, Ohio.”
Nine Inch Nails ItTrent Reznor and company brought the biggest production of the night — including smoke, strobes and banks of light that flanked the band on stage — as it ferociously attacked the likes of “Wish,” “March of the Pigs,” “Piggy,” “The Perfect Drug,” “The Hand That Feeds” and others before finishing with an affecting rendition of “Hurt.” Reznor probably surprised some in the crowd by noting that “you don’t understand what a big deal Joe Walsh reaching out to me was,” identifying Walsh as the first concert he ever attended. Walsh had the perfect response during his set; “Well, that was the first Nine Inch Nails concert I’ve ever been to…I liked it. It kinda reminded me of being in the Northridge earthquake in California…”
That’s All, Folks…During “Rocky Mountain Way,” Walsh was joined by other guests besides Grohl — the Breeders, who provided backing vocals, and Roy Orbison III, a six-year-old towhead who’s also Walsh’s godson and played along with him during the song’s famous talk-box and solo section, passing the music, and the mission, on to yet another generation.
VetsAid will be streaming via veeps.com through Tuesday, Nov. 15. Donations can be made andmerchandise purchased via vetsaid.org.
Move over Taylor Swift, Drake and 21 Savage are the new rulers of the U.K. albums chart.
On the latest survey, published last Friday (Nov. 11), Her Loss (via OVO/Republic Records) roars to No. 1, for Savage’s first-ever U.K. leader, and Drake’s fifth, following Views (2016), Scorpion (2018), Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020), and Certified Lover Boy (2021).
The collaborative hip-hop sets ends the reign of Swift’s Midnights (EMI) at two weeks. Midnights dips 1-2 on the current Official U.K. Albums Chart.
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Starting at No. 3 is First Aid Kit’s Palomino (Columbia), the second top 5 from the Swedish folk duo (sister act comprising sisters Johanna and Sara Söderberg) following 2018’s Ruins (No. 3).
Also enjoying a top flight entry is Luke Evans’ sophomore studio LP A Song For You (BMG), new at No. 4 for the actor and singer’s first appearance in the top 5. That’s an improvement on the No. 11 peak for Evans’ 2019 debut, At Last.
Meanwhile, Japanese-Australian singer and songwriter Joji bows at No. 13 with Smithereens (12tone Music/Warner), his third album and the followup to 2020’s Nectar (No. 6 peak).
Irish crooner Daniel O’Donnell enjoys a 42nd top 40 entry with I Wish You Well (DMG TV), new at No. 16.
British electronic punks the Prodigy return to the top 20 with The Fat Of The Land (XL Recordings), their third studio effort. The album, which features the hits “Firestarter,” “Breathe” and “Smack My B**** Up,” reenters at No. 19 following the release of a 25th anniversary edition, spanning two LPs. Fat Of The Land peaked at No. 1 after its original release in 1997, and it’s the leader on the latest Official Vinyl Albums Chart.
Finally, Liverpool rock band Crawlers make their first impression on the Official Chart with their debut mixtape Loud Without Noise (Polydor), at No. 22, while U.K. jazz quintet Ezra Collective enjoys a first top 40 slot with Where I’m Meant To Be (Partisan), new at No. 24. Ezra Collective previously charted with You Can’t Steal My Joy, which peaked at No. 70 following its release in 2019.
Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” (via EMI) enters a third week at No. 1 on the U.K. chart, a new career-best streak for the U.S. pop superstar.
With its third-consecutive cycle atop the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published last Friday (Nov. 11), “Anti-Hero” supersedes Swift’s 2017 hit “Look What You Made Me Do” (two weeks at No. 1) as her longest leader.
“Anti-Hero,” the first track on Swift’s 10th and latest studio album, enjoys a push thanks to a fresh cut featuring Bleachers, the project of Midnights producer Jack Antonoff.
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As their collaborative collection Her Loss (OVO/Republic Records) blasts to No. 1 on the U.K. albums chart, Drake and 21 Savage make a serious dent on the singles survey.
Three tracks from the album — the maximum allowed under Official Chart rules — debut in this week’s top ten: “Rich Flex” (No. 3), “Major Distribution” (No. 5) and “Circo Loco” (No. 7).
Drake’s career tally of U.K. top 40 hits now lifts to 79, while 21 Savage’s total is eight.
Further down the list, Meghan Trainor’s viral number “Made You Look” (Epic) continues its steady climb, up 14-8. It’s the U.S. pop artist’s first appearance in the top 10 for six years, since her “Marvin Gaye” collaboration with Charlie Puth went to the top in 2015.
Venbee and Goddard enjoy a first top 10 appearance with “messy in heaven” (Columbia), up 11-9, while London rapper K-Trap (real name Devonte Kasi Martin Perkins) sees “Warm” (Thousands) heat-up following the release of a remix with Skepta. It’s up 47-18.
Also, Fredo bounces with “I’m Back” (PG), new at No. 33 for the London rapper’s 16th top 40 appearance.
Finally, Japanese-Australian singer and songwriter Joji lands two tracks in the top 40, both lifted from this third studio album Smithereens (88rising/Warner Records). “Glimpse Of Us” reenters at No. 34, and “Die For You” bows at No. 39.