TV and pop starlet Ariana Grande has gone two for two, as her second collection “My Everything” has become her second consecutive No. 1 album.
The Nickelodeon star’s Universal Republic effort captured the pinnacle with sales of 169,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan data for the week ending Aug. 31. Her previous release “Yours Truly” launched at the top just shy of a year ago with 138,000 sold. The current album contains three top 10 collaborations: “Problem” (No. 2, with Iggy Azalea), “Break Free” (No. 4, with Zedd) and, on its deluxe edition, “Bang Bang” (No. 6, with Jesse J and Nicki Minaj).
Country luminary Brad Paisley bowed in his customary chart slot, debuting at No. 2 with “Moonshine in the Trunk” (Arista Nashville), which shifted 53,000. Paisley lifted off in that position with his last three albums, “Wheelhouse” (2013), “This is Country Music” (2011) and “American Saturday Night” (2009); “Time Well Wasted” (2005) also peaked there.
R&B singer Kem gave Paisley a run for his money, as his “Promise to Love: Album IV” (Motown) lagged only slightly behind at No. 3 with a 52,000-unit tally. The Detroit-born vocalist, born Kim Owens, achieved his personal best with “Intimacy: Album III,” which peaked at No. 2 in 2010.
The week’s other top 10 debut was Avenged Sevenfold’s “Waking the Fallen: Resurrected” (Hopeless), which clocked in at No. 10 with a 22,000-unit score. Set is a bulked-up reconfiguration of the Southern California rock act’s 2003 release.
The week’s holdovers included the soundtrack set “Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1” (No. 4, 48,000 sold, down 26%), Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour” (No. 5, 30,000, up 24%), Wiz Khalifa’s “Blacc Hollywood” (No. 6, 30,000, down 67%), the “Frozen” soundtrack (No. 7, 27,000, off 5%), the “Now 51” hits compilation (No. 8, 25,000, down 23%) and “5 Seconds of Summer” (No. 9, 22,000, off 8%). The Smith and Khalifa titles were separated by just 117 copies.
Maroon 5’s “V” will be in the running for a top 10 debut next week.
