New albums from Chaka Khan, Florida Georgia Line and Avril Lavigne dropped on Friday (February 15) and all should make a good impression a week hence, although they may be overshadowed by a 10th anniversary edition of Drake’s breakout mixtape, So Far Gone. In early iTunes tabulations, Lavigne makes the biggest impression, with Head Above Water - the Canadian singer’s first album in more than five years – at No.1 in 22 countries.
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande’s fifth album Thank U, Next – which instantly topped more than four times as many iTunes lists in the previous frame – has its first slew of official chart placings, opening at No.1 in Flanders, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and The UK, at No.2 in Italy and The Netherlands, No.3 in Germany and Wallonia, and No.12 in Japan. It will, of course, enjoy a similarly stunning second raft of debuts a week hence, not least in her native USA where it will become her fourth No.1.
Four albums by Queen topped the chart in Germany but it gave a slightly less warm welcome to their soundtrack release to Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody than most other European countries, with a No.24 debut last October and a No.21 peak last November for the set, which had fallen as far as No.40 last week. However, it soars to No.8 this week, becoming their 24th Top 10 album in the country after being released on vinyl. With recent Golden Globe and BAFTA wins for the film, and five Oscar nominations also helping its cause, Bohemian Rhapsody also advances 3-2 in Australia, 6-3 in Canada, 8-4 in The Netherlands, 6-4 in The UK, 7-5 in Italy, 6-5 in Wallonia, 11-6 in Spain, 29-8 in Flanders, 48-11 in The USA, and 16-12 in Poland, while holding at No.1 in The Czech Republic, debuting at No.33 in South Korea and re-entering the Hungarian chart at No.31.
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack also continues to impress, climbing 2-1 to return to the summit in both Canada and Australia, while making identical reverse moves in New Zealand and Poland. It continues at No.1 in Denmark.
Backstreet Boys’ ninth studio album, DNA, is in decline in all of the 23 territories in which we have marked its success in the last fortnight, losing all four of its No.1 placings along the way, with falls of 1-8 in Canada, 1-14 in Switzerland, 1-16 in Austria and 1-24 in The USA.
British metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon’s Amo also made its mark in 23 countries, and also loses its last No.1 placing, sliding 1-7 in Australia after falling 1-10 in The UK the previous week.
Finally, Dutch symphonic rock band Within Temptation’s seventh studio album, Resist, debuted last week at No.1 in Germany, No.2 in Flanders and The Netherlands, No.5 in Wallonia, No.11 in Sweden and No.15 in The UK but sinks lower in all of them this week, while opening at No.2 in Switzerland, No.4 in Austria and Finland, No.13 in Australia, No.19 in Slovakia, No.20 in The Czech Republic and Spain, No.22 in France, No.84 in Italy and No.129 in The USA.
