British hitmaker Olly Murs not only secured a second week atop the U.K. singles chart yesterday (Sunday) with “Troublemaker” (Epic/Sony Music Entertainment), featuring Flo Rida, but entered the album chart at No. 1 with his third set, “Right Place Right Time.” The Official Charts Company confirmed that opening sales of just under 127,000 made it the fastest-selling male solo album of the year to date.
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Murs reached No. 2 with his 2010 self-titled debut but the new release is his second bestseller in a row, after last year’s “In Case You Didn’t Know.” He took over at the summit as One Direction’s former No. 1 “Take Me Home” (Syco Music/Sony Music Entertainment) held in runner-up spot and last week’s champion, Rihanna’s “Unapologetic” (Def Jam/Universal), fell to No. 3.
The festive entries by Reprise/Warner Music’s Michael Bublé and Verve/Universal’s Rod Stewart, “Christmas” and “Merry Christmas Baby” respectively, each improved one places at Nos. 4 and 5. Robbie Williams’ “Take The Crown” (Universal Island) moved back up 10-6 and Emeli Sandé’s “Our Version Of Events” (Virgin/EMI) 8-7. The two newcomers in the top ten were “The Very Best Of Neil Diamond” (Columbia/Sony Music Entertainment) and Girls Aloud’s “Ten” (Polydor/Universal) at an anticlimactic No. 9. “Now! That’s What I Call Music 83” (EMI TV/Universal Music TV) started a second week at the top of the compilation chart, with “Now! That’s What I Call Christmas” (EMI TV/Rhino/UMTV) climbing 5-2.
Murs’ “Troublemaker” leads the singles survey with 82,000 second-week sales, ahead of two artists resurgent after performances on “The X Factor”: Bruno Mars, up 9-2 with “Locked Out Of Heaven” (Atlantic/Warner Music, close to 68,000) and Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” up 10-3 (53,000). The top new entry of the week was Kesha’s “Die Young” (Kemosabe/RCA/Sony Music Entertainment), at No. 10. The traditional Yuletide singles sales surge was led, as ever, by the Pogues and Mariah Carey, both back in the top 30 yet again. “Fairytale of New York” (Warner Bros./Warner Music) by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl climbed 53-27 and Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia/Sony Music Entertainment) 56-30.