Jon Pardi’s “California Sunrise” Debuts at #1
Jon Pardi is the latest traditionally-leaning country music artist to have a strong debut on the country albums chart with a new record. His sophomore effort California Sunrise released on June 17th tops the Billboard Country Albums chart this week with 23,708 album sold, and a total of 29,233 units factoring in streaming data. That edges the California-born songwriter just ahead of Chris Stapleton who comes in at #2 with Traveller, which continues to be the surprise album in country music, and the stalwart at the top of the albums chart in 2016.
Once again the success of California Sunrise demonstrates that traditional country fans are more likely to vote with their dollars and support their favorite artists compared to many mainstream performers. Jon Pardi has also been helped with the continued success of the album’s first single “Head Over Boots.” Released all the way back in September of 2015, the song has been building slowly, just now reaching the Top 10 on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and the Country Airplay chart. Pardi co-wrote and co-produced the track himself. “Head Over Boots” was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 27th.
Jon Pardi’s success symbolizes the continued gradual shift to an increasing market share of country music leaning to more traditional artists. William Michael Morgan’s debut single “I Met A Girl” has also been slowly creeping up the charts, and broke through the Top 25 last week.
Unfortunately for another traditional-leaning, major label-signed artist, the prognosis is not so good. Despite wide critical acclaim, Brandy Clark’s Big Day in a Small Town has struggled with sales since its release on June 10th. All the album could muster in its debut week was 7,400 copies sold, and 8,100 total factoring in stream data. It still put Clark in the Top 10 of the albums chart, but illustrates the continued struggles for females in country music, and the struggle for major labels to know how to market them. Clark’s current radio single, “Girl Next Door,” is sitting in the 30’s on the charts.
Nate
June 27, 2016 @ 11:42 am
Great news! Songs like “She Ain’t In It,” “California Sunrise,” “Cowboy Hat,” and “Paycheck” would sound good in any era. This is what country evolution should sound like that. Readers to this site are often hit with that criticism that we don’t want country music to evolve. But we do. And this is the right type of evolution.
Mike W.
June 27, 2016 @ 11:50 am
I wonder how much the Brandy Clark album was hurt by the initial single getting such tepid critical reaction. I know people are raving about the album, but when the first song people hear from an album is so completely mediocre, it may have scared some folks away. I also wonder how much of Clark’s chart struggles can be chalked up to certain radio programmers, especially in the Bible Belt, not jumping at the chance to play her music considering her sexuality. Which sucks to assume I know, but when you consider a large chuck of the Country music audience identifies as socially conservative/religious, one can’t help, but speculate.
Brandon F
June 27, 2016 @ 12:05 pm
I’d consider myself a Brandy Clark fan, but I was a bit let down by the latest album. I wasn’t really a Jon Pardi fan before, but I’d easily buy this album over Big Day in a Small Town.
Trigger
June 27, 2016 @ 12:31 pm
I think “Girl Next Door” hurt Brandy because it doesn’t represent the album, and Clark’s core constituency may have tuned her out as yet another casualty of Nashville. I was really surprised by her sales numbers, especially after “12 Stories” did so well. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys for crying out loud. Now she can’t sell 10,000 albums in the debut week? You can’t blame the music, so the only thing left to blame is the way it’s being marketed.
seak05
June 27, 2016 @ 1:04 pm
well, or the consumers…Really happy Jon Pardis did so well though.
MH
June 27, 2016 @ 1:46 pm
Heard “Girl Next Door” playing in Target the other day. It’s waaaaay overproduced and very pop-leaning – very out of the element for Brandy. In my opinion, that’s what killed the album sales.
Trigger
June 27, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
They were never going to attract the mainstream trendy demographic to this record. They should have gone the Chris Stapleton route. Screw radio.
MH
June 27, 2016 @ 2:19 pm
+1.
Gena R.
June 27, 2016 @ 2:14 pm
Seems like hardly any brick-and-mortar stores are even carrying ‘Big Day…’ — I know neither the Wal-Mart nor the Best Buy in my area do. :\
Jordan
June 29, 2016 @ 2:37 am
People loved Head Over Boots by Pardi, and I think that is driving these sales a ton. Brandy didn’t have that lead single do well at all. Makes a lot of sense. Sadly.
Ryan
June 29, 2016 @ 7:59 am
I’m socially conservative and as a general rule I don’t follow or care to know more about any entertainer that decides they have to make it a point to tell me who they choose to bed. Its just annoying and I’m sick of it. So if i happen to hear her stuff, great. But I wont be seeking it out.
Jim Bob
June 27, 2016 @ 12:04 pm
I can’t stand head over boots. Don’t get me wrong, I love to see traditional-leaning artists actually getting airplay, just doesn’t do it for me. At all. But to each their own I suppose – sure as shit beats seeing FGL or Sam Hunt at #1
Fat Freddy's Cat
June 27, 2016 @ 12:43 pm
I’m in the same boat. I listened to the album and tried to like it, but it just didn’t “click” with me. I’ll go back in a few weeks and try again–sometimes an album just doesn’t quite hit me right the first listen but I end up liking it.
But also as you say, it’s good see traditional-leaning artists getting airplay.
grant
June 27, 2016 @ 12:31 pm
On the subject of traditional leaning artists has Mo Pitney just disapeared? Not even an ep yet.
Cody
June 27, 2016 @ 2:22 pm
In one of his videos he posted on Facebook today, he said he was anticipating his album being released in October.
AT
June 27, 2016 @ 1:07 pm
For me, it’s a financial matter when buying albums.
With Brandy Clark’s latest album streamed ahead of its release date on NPR, I had the chance to listen it. I’ve also been to two of her shows in the past few months where she played the record nearly it in its entirety. I absolutely love the record, but haven’t purchased it yet. I will eventually though.
With Jon Pardi, I’ve been a fan since his first EP. I think he’s one of the best live acts today as well. Since I haven’t heard any of the tracks, with the exception of the single, I purchased “California Sunrise” over “Big Day In A Small Town.” I love this album!
For me, it’s just a matter of timing + financial matters. I’d love to purchase all my favorite artists records when they go on sale, but it doesn’t always happen. Since I was ten years old, I’ve kept a list of albums that I want to buy….sometimes it takes me years to add to my collection….hence “The Pilgrim” by Marty Stuart is STILL on my list. ha.
seak05
June 27, 2016 @ 1:19 pm
Also Chris S’ album is weird. It’s not weird that it has sold well, but that it keeps selling almost the same number of copies every week. At this point (awards weeks aside), who is just hearing stuff by him and deciding they want to buy it? I mean it’s cool, but weird.
TheCheapSeats
June 27, 2016 @ 3:44 pm
Not really. Good albums continue to sell well for a long time if you look at history. How the hell was Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” on the charts for 741 weeks, from 1973 to 1988? Because more people kept finding out about it. Same with Stapleton. So this is relatively short, considering.
RobertS
June 27, 2016 @ 4:19 pm
Another way to look at it is that “Traveller” has moved 1.4 million plus, so the weekly total is < 2% of that.
andrew
June 27, 2016 @ 1:31 pm
Big fan of the Pardi album. Ordered it on vinyl and been streaming it all week. Has a pretty unique sound but brings together a wide range of era’s into one. Songs aren’t over the top great, but very good nonetheless, especially considering what’s out there now. Good honky tonk music too. Think he might have a pretty good ride ahead of himself. Isn’t it sad that we can’t even compare a somewhat traditional country album to the rest of country music out there today because it’s so dissimilar? Like what you said, there were really only 2 “mainstream” traditional style albums we could even compare it too.
Cosmic Cowboy
June 27, 2016 @ 2:40 pm
Not a fan of this release at all. To me this is so borderline top 40 country with the hint of any real country in it. I may be alone on this but I have seen this type come and go and keep on going for over 50 yrs now and I think this is going to stay stay gone. Not worthy of my collection.
Whiskey Pete
July 1, 2016 @ 10:48 am
Yea that’s how I felt. His voice is not that great and the music sounds kinda poppy. :/
BOB
September 23, 2016 @ 6:08 am
I bought it and ended up regretting it, feel same way. It’s like pop country except it leans a bit more traditional. Not very great.
Chris
June 27, 2016 @ 4:01 pm
Hardly numbers to get excited about, let’s be honest here.
seak05
June 27, 2016 @ 4:37 pm
This is also true. It was nice that it got #1, but it was a soft week. It’s a major label album with a successful single & it didn’t break 30k. Both Maren-45k and Dan & Shay-33k topped it in their debut weeks (leaving the bigger names out of it). I think both those albums received more promo though.
Trigger
June 27, 2016 @ 5:22 pm
Nobody is saying that this is some historic moment in country. The point is more traditionally-leaning artists are competing, and sometimes beating competition that speaks to an unfulfilled population of country listeners. Jon Pardi has never appeared on network television, and his PR budget was probably half of Maren Morris. It’s his debut week, but he’s still having to compete with artists who sell out arenas and stadiums on a regular basis. Look at Brandy Clark. If all anyone had to do was wait for a wear release week to have a #1, what happened there? To get to #1 on the albums chart, there still has to be some serious appeal for the music.
seak05
June 27, 2016 @ 8:12 pm
I’m really happy that he got to #1, it’s something to hang a hat on, and I think the promo piece is huge. But total sales are what labels are going to care about the most. I think their is clearly a market for more old school country, but as long as Black sells better than Riser, I forsee crappy music from music row. Maybe I’m just a pessimist.
Trigger
June 27, 2016 @ 8:32 pm
I think we have to celebrate the victories, however small, if for nothing else than our sanity, and to keep our chins up. I hear from folks all the time saying “all” I do is focus on the negative and tear music down. But I always try to focus on the positive whenever positive news presents itself.
BwareDWare94
June 27, 2016 @ 8:43 pm
I’ve been listening to this album almost nonstop since it’s release day. Even the songs that he had to concede to the label are tolerable. I know that’s not saying much but I’d say that Jon Pardi has the same gift David Nail has–he can tastefully record the songs forced on him. That being said, I can listen to this album front to back. I’m really hoping that “Cowboy Hat” is the next single. I think that song has a chance to do wonders for mainstream country music.
Summer Jam
June 28, 2016 @ 2:33 am
David Nail is amazing. Big big fan. Soooo excited for Fighter to come out. I also love Jon Pardi and bought this album as soon as i was able to get to walmart and buy it.
Brad
June 28, 2016 @ 7:14 am
As a music programmer at 5 different country stations across missouri and florida, I must say that i’m sickened by what “Trashville” has done to the genre. I grew up in the 80’s when, in my opinion, country was country… Today’s “country” is nothing more than watered down pop. I loathe when new music is sent to me because i know it’s more than likely gonna be the same ol song, with a different “artist” singing it. I use the word “artist” sparingly… Any Joe Blow can go into a studio, talk into a microphone, and let the computer wiz kid make them sound like they are singing… Don’t believe me, go to a “live” concert of thiers.. That’s not an artist, that’s a corporate guinea pig. They just “turn up the fire on another dancing chicken” if i may quote Pure Country. As for Brandy Clark’s album, i didn’t really dig the Girl Next Door single, but i did buy the album, and must say that it’s an album that i can listen to… Girl’s got balls… no pun intended, i couldnt care less if shes not into guys. The songs she sings are real, and a person can relate to just about everyone of them. THAT’s what country is all about, i think… As for Jon Pardi’s album, i haven’t purchased it yet, but you can bet i will be doing that today…. By the way, Trigger…. I want to personally thank you for this website… I check it daily, just to see that someone else out there has the same opinions i have on today’s music…
Trigger
June 28, 2016 @ 7:32 am
Thanks for reading Brad.
Shupe
June 29, 2016 @ 1:23 pm
I’m sorry but I don’t see the “traditional leaning” aspect of this guy. I thought “Head over Boots” was Florida Georgia Line until the other day… You can keep this guy. Sam Outlaw puts this guy to shame, and I haven’t seen him mentioned on this site at all.
Trigger
June 29, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
Here’s a 13-paragraph review of Sam Outlaw’s Album “Angeleno.”
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/whats-in-a-name-sam-outlaws-debut-lp-angeleno/
He was also featured on the 50 Essential Albums list for 2015:
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/saving-country-musics-50-essential-albums-for-2015/
He was also featured in this 2016 SXSW roundup:
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/sxsw-2016-words-and-pictures/
And according to a simple search of the site, Sam Outlaw has been mentioned an additional 7 times beyond those articles:
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/?s=%22sam+outlaw%22
I’m really not trying to bust your balls here, but I do work very hard in trying to cover as many worthy artists as I can. Some I just haven’t gotten to yet, and others we may disagree upon. I understand why some don’t like Jon Pardi. I think he’s a breath of fresh air in the mainstream. But I agree, there are others out there that are better, including Sam Outlaw.
Giulia
July 4, 2016 @ 9:22 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I kinda think it was a positive thing that country music gone pop for a while. Not 100% positive, but somehow good.
I used to listen to Shania, Faith and Alan Jackson when I was a kid with my parents, but right before Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Taylor Swift’s (ignoring the discussion of “is it country or not”) big “explosion”, I didn’t really care about country music. Today I can’t stand going through a day without listening to country music. I do think it was a open door to new fans.
In my country (I’m Brazilian) no one listens to country music and I try to explain how traditional and pop country are different and why should it be. Hell, like you guys said: people are buying traditional country albums, they’re supporting it. In my opinion, pop country will eventually die.
Besides these artists that y’all mentioned, we still have Kacey Musgraves. She did an amazing job with Pageant Material – still can’t get over it.