'American Idol' on the Charts: Casey Abrams' Return to the Show Returns Him to No. 1

Michael Becker / Fox

FEEL THE HEAT: Last week, season 10 alum Casey Abrams returned to American Idol and reminded everyone of his inherent musical talent by performing his own unique take on the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.” In a clear case of cause and effect, Abrams now makes another return -- to the Billboard charts.

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Abrams was coming back to Idol this season even before he was asked to perform on the top nine results show. He is The Hollywood Reporter’s Idol correspondent this year, interviewing each week’s eliminated contestant immediately following the Thursday night broadcasts. Last night, he talked with Devin Velez.

But back to his performance of a John Lennon-Paul McCartney song. That is the reason his self-titled debut album re-enters Billboard’s Heatseekers chart at No. 1. That same album first set topped this survey nine months ago in the immediate wake of its release.

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Abrams’ set also returns to The Billboard 200, at No. 131. When it originally debuted in July 2012, the album peaked at No. 101.

It’s notable that “I Saw Her Standing There” is not one of the tracks on Abrams’ album but his appearance on Idol was enough to propel the release back onto the charts anyway. It’s a good omen for Colton Dixon, who should get a huge boost back up the charts thanks to his performance on the top eight results show.

IN THE COMPANY OF LEGENDS: One way to look at how successful Phillip Phillips is, is to look at his peak positions on the various Billboard singles and albums charts. Like, topping 10 different charts with “Home” is not bad, and landing in first place on Top Rock Albums is pretty decent, too.

But there’s another way to look at how quickly a new artist like the season 11 winner has broken into the big leagues. Take a look at this week’s edition of Top Rock Albums, where Phillips’ debut set The World from the Side of the Moon rebounds 9-7. Now read the entire top 10 and you’ll realize that Phillips is sharing the upper elite portion of this chart with some impressive names, like Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Even better, Bon Jovi and Bowie might be listed above Phillips this week, but the newest American Idol is ranked higher than Hendrix and Clapton.

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One more note about The World: it also moves back up The Billboard 200, 18-17 and Top Digital Albums, where it jumps 18-11.

THE DEPTH OF HER ‘BREATH’: Last month, Kelly Clarkson’s “Catch My Breath” captured its first No. 1 honor, topping the Hot Dance Club Play chart. This week, “Breath” earns its second No. 1 by debuting in the lead spot on the Mainstream Top 40 Recurrents tally. It’s the 82nd Billboard No. 1 for the first American Idol winner and the 383rd No. 1 for the Idol franchise.

‘HOME’ RUNS: Phillip Phillips’ “Home” is No. 1 for the 10 week on the Adult Contemporary chart. That’s stellar but the song still has a distance to go before it becomes the longest-running AC No. 1 by an Idol. There are three songs with longer reigns on this chart, including one with a very familiar title:

“Breakaway,” Kelly Clarkson (21 weeks) 2005

“The Time of My Life,” David Cook (15 weeks) 2008

“Home,” Daughtry (11 weeks) 2007

Twitter: @Idol_Worship