TONIGHT'S ALRIGHT: Two years and two weeks after scoring his first No. 1 on Top Country Albums, Scotty McCreery returns to pole position with his latest release, See You Tonight. This is his third album to chart, counting his seasonal Christmas with Scotty McCreery, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 2012.
The new album makes multiple top 10 debuts, bowing at No. 6 on The Billboard 200, No. 3 on Top Internet Albums and No. 10 on Top Digital Albums.
DOUBLE PLAY: Some 16 months after making his Billboard chart debut, Phillip Phillips chalks up another first. He now has two albums appearing on The Billboard 200, thanks to the bow of his acoustic iTunes Session. That digital release enters the chart at No. 148, while the season 11 champ’s first set, The World from the Side of the Moon, is reenergized, bouncing back up the list with a move of 107-96.
HE'S 'GONE': When it comes to American Idol, 19 is a magic number. That’s the name of one of the production entities behind the show and the record label that issues product by competitors from the TV series. This week, “19” takes on another meaning for Phillip Phillips, who collects his 19th No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
'OVER' THE TOP: After yielding pole position, Mandisa’s current single, “Overcomer,” overcomes Switchfoot’s “Who We Are” (which plunges 1-33 in its second week on the chart) and returns to No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Digital Songs as well as Christian/Gospel Digital Songs, giving the season five finalist an 11th week in first place on both lists.
SONG OF STEEL: Add comic book fan Chris Daughtry to the list of artists -- including Donovan, Barbra Streisand, Eminem and Five for Fighting -- who have recorded songs with the Man of Steel’s name in the title. Daughtry, who has been known to dress as Batman at Comic-Con, is a co-writer of the first single from his group’s forthcoming album, Baptized. “Waiting for Superman” makes multiple Billboard chart debuts this week, including a No. 70 bow on the Hot 100.
OUT IN FRONT: For the third week in a row, the grand total of Billboard No. 1s achieved by American Idol contestants increases. This week, new chart-toppers by Phillip Phillips and Mandisa up the figure to 405.
LEADERS OF THE PACK: The grand total of No. 1s by Idols on the Billboard charts continues to grow. Contestants from 12 seasons of the series are now responsible for 403 chart-toppers, with the latest titles to achieve pole position coming from Phillip Phillips, Kelly Clarkson and Colton Dixon.
BEST WEEK EVER: It’s not difficult to make the case that season five’s Mandisa, who made her first Billboard chart appearance in 2007, is having the best chart week of her career, some six years after her debut.
FRAMED: After winning season nine of American Idol, Lee DeWyze released Live It Up, his post-show debut, on RCA. That album peaked at No. 19 on The Billboard 200 but there was no follow-up and in October 2011, DeWyze was dropped from the label. Some 15 months later, the long-standing Vanguard label announced the signing of DeWyze to the imprint. The Idol winner's first release on his new label home debuts on the Billboard charts this week. Frames bows at No. 116 on The Billboard 200, No.
HERE’S ‘WHERE’: Phillip Phillips’ first two singles, “Home” and “Gone, Gone, Gone” are both still appearing on various Billboard charts and this week they are joined by the third release from The World from the Side of the Moon. The season 11 champ’s newest single, “Where We Came From,” debuts at No. 27 on the Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) chart and No. 28 on the Triple A Audience tally.
THREE FOR THE MONEY: It’s not the best week for Idols on the charts. While a few titles are on an upswing, many singles and albums hold in place or are falling. But it’s a different story on the Billboard 200 album chart, where winners from seasons one, four and 11 rebound with their current releases.
‘GONE’ BUT FAR FROM FORGOTTEN: You might be ready for a third single from Phillip Phillips’ album The World from the Side of the Moon, but the second release is still too strong to make way for a follow-up. “Gone, Gone, Gone” is hardly gone at all, as it moves up on a trio of Billboard charts this week. A two-spot climb, from No. 6 to No. 4, on Adult Contemporary results in a new peak position on a chart where Phillips’ previous single, “Home,” ruled for 12 weeks.
INSPIRATION REVEALED:Mandisa’s fourth studio album (and fifth overall, including her Christmas set) won’t be released until Aug. 27, but anticipation for this pop-oriented Christian album is building, thanks to the success of the first single. “Overcomer,” the upbeat title track, is No. 1 on the Christian Digital Songs chart for the third week.
'GLAD' ALL OVER: Holiday albums usually don’t go to No. 1 in July. So season seven runner-up David Archuleta may have made chart history this week, as Glad Christmas Tidings, a Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra release that features the vocals of the American Idol alum, re-enters the Classical Catalog Albums chart in the top spot.
The album also debuts at No. 25 on the Top Internet Albums chart and moves up 10-9 on the Christian Catalog Albums chart.