RADIO ACTIVE — A Weekly Chart CHRonicle (January 14, 2018)

Welcome to Radio Active, a Sunday evening report from POP! Goes The Charts that gets to the chart of the matter: all the highlights from the CHR/Top 40 chart, as published by Mediabase 24/7 and Mediabase Research. It’s nearly impossible to like every single hit in the top 50 on any given week, but let’s stop short of calling the chart a sh-thole, alright? There’s plenty of music to go around, and that’s what our weekly report is all about. Let’s go!

CONNECTION TO PERFECTION: Nothing in life is perfect, but for singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran, some perfection can be found at the top of this week’s CHR/Top 40 chart. Of course, that’s his current single “Perfect”, which moves from 2-1. It’s Sheeran’s third #1 song at the format, following the one-week “Thinking Out Loud” in 2015 and the ten-week “Shape Of You” from last year. It also moves 2-1 on the Hot AC chart, giving the performer his fourth chart-topper on that particular format. (“Photograph” spent five weeks atop the Hot AC list in 2015.) Two updated versions of the single, one featuring Beyoncé and another with Andrea Bocelli, have performed strongly in the digital space, fueling its run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the past five weeks. Sheeran has a shot at a second week at #1 on the Top 40 chart, though hits from Halsey (#3) and Dua Lipa (#4) will be closing in on him soon.

WATCH YOUR “WAIT”: As Justin Timberlake‘s “Filthy” (up 22-17) and Bruno Mars‘s remix of “Finesse” (with Cardi B, up 33-18) continue to fly up the survey, potentially battling it out for #1 next month, there’s some smaller action in the lower regions of the chart. Rising from 16-15 with the Halsey-assisted “Him & I”, G-Eazy finally makes the top 40 with the lead single off his recent album The Beautiful & Damned, “No Limit”, moving 42-40. The track features A$AP Rocky and the aforementioned Cardi B, both of whom claim their third top 40 hit at the format, while G-Eazy has his eighth. (“Limit” previously reached #1 on the Rhythmic and Urban charts.) Several notches below that, at #46, is the latest single from Maroon 5‘s Red Pill Blues album. “Wait”, which doesn’t, at least when it comes to striking before its impact date, should have a fairly good chance at entering the top 40 next week. (It would be their 25th single to hit the region since the summer of 2003, whenever it occurs.)

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TURN IT UP TUESDAY: What’s New In Stores This Week (May 26)

Two of this week’s Stone cold releases.

Memorial Day has come and gone, and the chart veterans are, for the most part, taking in some extra rays. However, a number of new releases are up for sale. Here are the albums and singles that are new in stores for the week of May 26:

• You may have noticed Washington-born singer Allen Stone‘s new album, Radius, as a First Play on iTunes last week. It is the 28-year-old musician’s first set for Capitol Records and features the singles “Freedom” (currently rising on the Hot AC chart) and “Upside” (making some small gains at AAA radio.) Look for it to see some decent sales this week. (iTunes)
• Featuring the recent minor Hot AC hit “Hurricane”, California pop/rock trio Lifehouse return with the album Out Of The Wasteland, their first to be released independently after a run with Geffen Records. It was produced by longtime manager Jude Cole, best known for his national top ten single “Baby, It’s Tonight” in 1990. (iTunes)
• His single “Cool” (featuring Roy English) looks to be finished at the CHR format, but DJ and producer Alesso has a cool collection of new tunes out today called FOREVER. It’s his debut album, and should be moderately successful in the States. (iTunes)
• Other releases out this week include: A$AP Rocky‘s AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP (iTunes), Boosie Badazz‘s Touch Down 2 Cause Hell (iTunes), Dizzy Wright‘s The Growing Process (iTunes), Hillsong UNITED‘s Empires (iTunes), The Lacs‘s Outlaw In Me (iTunes), The Vaccines‘s English Graffiti (iTunes) and Unknown Mortal Orchestra‘s Multi-Love (iTunes).

New digital-only singles that you can buy this week include:

• “21”, the new single from Hunter Hayes. (iTunes)
• “Emergency”, new from Icona Pop. (iTunes)
• “Only Right”, new from Ty Dolla $ign, YG, Joe Moses and TeeCee4800. (iTunes)
• “Trust You”, a new single from Rob Thomas. (iTunes)
• “Waiting For Love”, new from DJ and producer Avicii. (iTunes)

Next week, Florence + The Machine and Jason Derulo are among the top releases on the schedule, with both bound for top ten debuts. Will anyone else join them? A full preview comes on Monday night.

TURN IT UP TUESDAY: What’s New In Stores This Week (Jan. 15)

Home is Ware the chart is.

It’s that time once again! Here are the new releases out in stores on Tuesday, January 15:

• My pick of the week is a digital-only EP: If You’re Never Gonna Move by British songstress Jessie Ware, a relative unknown in the U.S., though she’s had some international success in the past year. The five-track EP features one of her former singles, the title track (originally known as “110%”) and current release “Sweet Talk”, but I’m really intrigued by her take on the Bobby Caldwell 1979 classic “What You Won’t Do For Love”, which is given a 90’s experimental R&B-infused twist and remains just as smooth as the original jazz number. This EP won’t likely see a lot of chart action here in the States, but her full-length album, Devotion, may just be a decent-sized breakout for her here in this new year. It’s just too bad that “Love” isn’t on that one. It’s the real treat on this short trip through Ware’s musical identity, a brilliant concoction of the avant-garde mixed with the soul of the quiet storm. (iTunes)
• The late Queen of Ivory Soul, Teena Marie, gets a posthumous release in Beautiful, an album she had just completed at the time of her death in late 2010. Lead single “Luv Letter” is receiving minor airplay at Urban Adult Contemporary radio. (AmazonMP3)
• Rapper A$AP Rocky delivers his first album, LONG.LIVE.A$AP. “… Problems” has been a big hit at Rhythm and Urban radio. This may be the highest debut on next week’s chart, though given the low sales climate in January, it’s unclear whether it will be #1 yet. (iTunes)
• Are you a kid who wants to sing along to watered down lyrics of your favorite songs as performed by other children with stage moms who wants all the glitz and glamour themselves? Well, look no further than the 23rd (how the hell did they get to 23?) edition of Kidz Bop, featuring mediocre renditions of big hits like “We Are Never Ever Wearing Black Together”, “Locked Out Of Homeroom”, and “Fail Again”. You’re sure to be schooled by this one. (iTunes… unfortunately)
• Alternative band Yo La Tengo releases their thirteenth studio album, Fade. It’s their first since 2009. (iTunes)
• A former American Idol contestant takes on the world of Christian music, though it’s not his first foray into the genre. Jason Castro‘s Only A Mountain is in stores this week. (AmazonMP3)
• Already a big seller at Amazon, The Tenors (formerly The Canadian Tenors) are back with Lead With Your Heart, produced by the world-renowned David Foster. Expect this one to be a big hit with the older demographic. (AmazonMP3)
• The duo 2Cellos put out their appropriately titled second album, In2ition, featuring their take on popular songs by AC/DC, Elton John and Rihanna and more as only they could. (AmazonMP3)
• Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard puts out GoldenHeart, her solo debut. (AmazonMP3)

New digital-only singles that you can buy this week include:

• “Suit & Tie”, the sexual and soulful new hit from Justin Timberlake, featuring Jay-Z. (iTunes)

Things begin to pick up a little bit more next Tuesday – we’ll see you then!