Susan Boyle tops Rihanna (and Kid Rock) on album chart

Reuters ^ | 11/24/10 | Keith Caulfield

[NormsRevenge]

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Scottish singer Susan Boyle's second album "The Gift" held on to the top spot on the Billboard 200 album charts for a second week, beating new releases by R&B artist Rihanna, and Kid Rock.

Boyle, who became an Internet sensation after appearing on "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009, also scored a rare second-week sales increase, up 5 percent with 335,000 sales of her Christmas-themed album, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Boyle was joined by a kindred TV spirit as 10-year-old "America's Got Talent" runner-up Jackie Evancho saw her "O Holy Night" bow with 239,000 at No. 2. The four song EP -- bolstered with a DVD of performances -- carries an economical list price of $8.

[NormsRevenge]

I hope her cat is OK and holding up well.

[NormsRevenge]

and Chris Brown is getting gold stars for his community service and attitude.. Strange Universe, indeed.

[NormsRevenge]

A Star is born

Scottish singer Susan Boyle sings ''I Dreamed a Dream'' in Copenhagen
January 30, 2010. Reuters/Casper Christoffersen/Scanpix

[cripplecreek]

Not my kind of music but good for her.

[Rebelbase]

First time since the Beatles that an artist has held #1 on both American and British music charts.

[glorgau]

Yesterday I saw this CD on the front counter at Barnes and Noble’s coffee shop. A LOT of CDs get sold at coffee shops these days.

[a fool in paradise]

A singing boil?

What's it sing? Put "your head on my shoulder?"

[wolfcreek]

Pat Benetar started out as an opera singer maybe........

[Oshkalaboomboom]

We have the album. It’s OK but we were expecting new material and it’s closer to a Christmas album.

[iowamark]

http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Susan-Boyle/dp/B003GAMPWM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Abx8NibXjA
“Susan Boyle ‘Perfect Day’”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJXsoWXvQhI
“Susan Boyle “Do You Hear What I Hear” (with Amber Stassi)”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBt5Lr1KVdo
“Susan Boyle ‘Hallelujah’”

[Raven6]

We picked up this new CD a couple of hours ago and listened to it on the way home... It is a Christmas album so (most of) the songs are familiar, though "Hallelujah" (not the "Hallelujah Chorus" with which most of us are familiar) is a bit odd and unrelated to Christmas. I could also pass on "Don't Dream It's Over" as far as a Christmas album goes. The songs with which we are familiar are well done...

She has a lovely voice... But sadly, it seems the audio engineers cut back on her voice tracks versus those of the instruments. In other words, you hear her, but not as powerfully as you would expect. That is sad, for most of the songs selected to be part of this album (in the jacket, she thanks Simon Cowell for helping select them) would have lent themselves well to her powerful yet pleasing vocal talent.

We will leave it in the truck's CD player in slot 6 until after Christmas, and add some Mannheim Steamroller and some Jim Brickman as well...

Now if I can just get my wife to let me fit Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" in there somewhere...

Regards,
Raven6

[LS]

Great voice, but so far doesn’t have either the arranger or the songwriter to exploit it aside from “Dreamed.” Contrast with Cher, who ALWAYS seemed to have the right song for her voice.