Frank Ocean’s odd release of “Blonde” isn’t the chart buster it might have been.
The Divas are right on top of him. Barbra Streisand, Britney Spears, Celine Dion and as ever, Adele, are taking up the rest of the charts.
Because “Blonde” doesn’t exist on Amazon, Streisand is number 1 with her “Encores: Movie Partners” album, giving her a record for having number 1 albums in each of the last six decades. On iTunes, which has a younger audience, Streisand is lodged impressively at number 5. Her recent short tour. culminating in two nights in New York, was a boost. So was her appearance on Jimmy Fallon this week singing with the host of the Tonight Show dressed as Donald Trump. A story on CBS Sunday Morning with Anthony Mason today could drive it even higher.
The big surprise is that Britney Spears is number 3 on iTunes, and number 2 on Amazon. Who is Spears’s audience? Didn’t they all grow up? Her “Glory” album is defying the odds since Spears doesn’t tour, appears mostly in Las Vegas, and is one of the few adults in the world who has a conservator. (Maybe everyone should have one!)
Celine Dion’s “Encore: Un Soir” is sung entirely in French but it’s her first album in a long time, the first since the death of her husband and manager, Rene Angelil. The album is top 30 on both Amazon and iTunes, and a little smart marketing could launch a single on middle of the road stations.
Meantime, Adele’s tour of the US has kept her “25” album in the top 10 of everything all spring and summer. The album was released in November and sold 7 million copies before the end of the year. It was only added to Spotify a few weeks ago.
