The 9513 Last.fm Chart Update (8-9-09)

Somehow, The 9513 Top Artist chart just doesn’t look right if it doesn’t have a guy in a cowboy hat as the #1 artist. Or on the occasions where Sugarland is on top, a guy in a dorky fedora. This isn’t one of those occasions, as George Strait is far and away the #1 artist for the week, with 28 listeners. The duo of Jennifer Nettles and company ended up in second place with 23 listeners, right behind Lee Ann Womack, Miranda Lambert and Alan Jackson with 22. Reba McEntire and Jamey Johnson tied at #6 with 21.

Looking at the Top 20 as a whole, it’s a decidedly experienced group. We have five artists who have made their debuts in the ’00s: Sugarland, Lambert, Johnson, Carrie Underwood and Hayes Carll (both in at #16 with 17 listeners). We’ve got a fairly even split between artists of the ’90s and those of the ’80s, and then there are a few that debuted in the ’70s and back. Given the fact that we’ve got a pretty good cross-section of country fans, from current mainstream listeners to New Traditionalist fans to alt-country music geeks, it doesn’t seem like too many of the ‘00 artists have yet made a real impact across the board. It’s still too early to tell, though; the next Reba may be struggling to reach the Top 40 right now. Speaking of, Ashley Monroe had 10 listeners and Ashton Shepherd had 9.

In what is likely a first for the group, the #1 album hasn’t even been released yet. Johnson’s new single, “My Way To You,” had the same title tagged for the album name, and 14 listeners put it in at #1. Whether or not that’s the name of the final album is unknown, but it’s already a hit around these parts. Sugarland’s Twice The Speed Of Life and Dixie Chicks‘ Fly tied for second place with 12 listeners, and Lambert’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Womack’s Call Me Crazy and Trisha Yearwood’s Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love rounded out the Top 5 with 11 listeners. The group of albums at #7 with 10 listeners included Carll’s Trouble In Mind, Patty Loveless‘ On Your Way Home and Womack’s I Hope You Dance. Gloriana’s self-titled debut had 6 listeners, which is the same number of hair and makeup stylists that the quartet takes out on the road with them.

Given the results of the albums chart, it won’t come as any surprise that the #1 track, with 17 listeners, was Johnson’s “My Way To You.” It was pretty much a slaughter, but I don’t know if enough people will listen to it week after week to keep it around. Then again, one of the songs at #2 was Lambert’s “Dead Flowers,” which is another lead single off a to-be-released album, so maybe it will have some staying power. The other #2 song, with 9 listeners, was The Wreckers’ “Leave The Pieces.” The rest of the Top 10 is a mix of perennial favorites with new appearances. Reba’s “Consider Me Gone,” Garth’s “Callin’ Baton Rouge” and Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor” are among the new songs. And while they missed out on the Top 10, Jypsi’s “I Don’t Love You Like That” and Kellie Pickler’s “Best Days Of Your Life” both had 6 listeners, a good showing for two acts that don’t normally chart much here.

Freebie of the Week: If you’re a Facebook user and are a fan of iTunes, Apple will reward you by periodically sending out free codes for sampler CDs. Generally, they’ve been about 15 tracks, about half of which I’ve kept, and have focused mostly on indie rock and world music. But this week, there’s a code netting you a free download of artists who performed at Lollapalooza, including… Eric Church. Yes, Eric Church was the sole representation for the Nashville-based country music world at one of the largest outdoor festivals in the country. He was right between Bon Iver and the Heartless Bastards in the schedule, FYI. So, go become a fan and get a free download of “Smoke A Little Smoke” and 14 other songs.

To see this week’s charts and join our group, head to http://www.last.fm/group/The+9513.

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