Meanwhile, Lauren Alaina's second full-length, Road Less Travelled, arrives at No. 3 on Top Country Albums (13,000). Wildflower, her first proper LP -- following two top 10 American Idol collections, after she placed second on the series' 2011 season -- debuted and peaked at No. 2 that October.
On Hot Country Songs, Road's title-cut lead single, which Alaina wrote with Jesse Frasure and Meghan Trainor, journeys to a new peak (17-12).
'STAR' POWER: Thomas Rhett racks his seventh Country Airplay No. 1, as "Star of the Show" rises 2-1 (42.5 million, up 1 percent). The song, which Rhett wrote with his father, Rhett Akins, and Ben Hayslip, is the fifth and final planned single from his album Tangled Up. It follows the No. 1s "Crash and Burn" (Sept. 26, 2015, one week), "Die a Happy Man" (Jan. 2, 2016, six weeks) and "T-Shirt" (June 18, one week). (Fourth single "Vacation" hit No. 30 in September 2016.)
"I can't believe ["Star of the Show"] is my seventh No. 1," Rhett tells Billboard. "It's the perfect way to close out Tangled Up. This one is particularly special, as it's the first No. 1 that my dad and I wrote together, so it means a lot to both of us."
Although "Star" is the first No. 1 that Rhett co-wrote with Akins, his dad co-penned (with other writers) his first two leaders: "It Goes Like This" (2013) and "Get Me Some of That" (2014).
HE'S 'BACK': "Body Like a Back Road," the first single from Sam Hunt's upcoming album, marks his highest debut on Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay and Country Digital Song Sales.
The track bounds in at No. 2 on Hot Country Songs, besting the No. 16 entrance of "Drinkin' Too Much" on the Jan. 28-dated chart.
With its No. 21 start on Country Airplay (12.7 million in audience), "Body" is easily Hunt's highest arrival. Previously, his debut single, "Leave the Night On," was his strongest, beginning at No. 53 before becoming his first of four No. 1s.
On Country Digital Song Sales, "Body" bows at the summit, selling 53,000 downloads in its first week. Before that, Hunt had entered at a No. 3 high with "Drinkin' Too Much" (26,000, Jan. 28). He notches his third Country Digital Song Sales leader, following "Take Your Time" (12 weeks) and "House Party" (three), both in 2015.
'OLD' IS NEW: Zac Brown Band's "My Old Man" jumps aboard Country Airplay at No. 26, with 7.9 million in audience. On Hot Country Songs, it begins at No. 49.
The acoustic-driven song previews the band's May 12 studio album Welcome Home, produced by Dave Cobb.
"Man" arrives as the second-highest debut of the band's 21 Country Airplay appearances, trailing only "Homegrown," which debuted at No. 23 (Jan. 23, 2015). It went on to become ZBB's 11th of 13 No. 1s to date.
