• Ed Sheeran pulls off Christmas double…sort of!
• Eminem collaborations secure chart success too
Singles
Several chart doubles for Ed Sheeran this week. Not only has he secured the Christmas #1 spot with “Perfect” on its 42nd week on the chart, but he sits at #2 as well, sharing that chart spot as a featured artist on Eminem’s “River”.
“Perfect’s” chart longevity was helped with some clever recent re-releases – duets with Beyoncé and then Andrea Bocelli.
Meanwhile Eminem has used collaborations to help secure his return to form. His #2 single “River” features Ed Sheeran which followed up Eminem’s recent top 10 appearance with “Walk On Water” which featured Beyoncé. Eminem has entered the top ten 16 times since he first appeared with “Stan” which went #1 in March 2001.
No other news from the top 10 with Mariah Carey narrowly missing a return with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” which sees the former #2 single peak at #11 this Christmas.
Albums
The ninth album from Eminem, “Revival”, becomes his eighth #1 ARIA album. The only album of his not to crack the top of the chart was his first major label release, “The Slim Shady LP”, in 1999 which barely dented the chart here despite peaking at #2 in the US.
With Christmas upon us, there are six seasonal albums lodged in the top 20, including Human Nature’s “The Christmas Album” which jumps from #25 to #15.
Other chart debuts inside the top 50 in Christmas week:
#20 Linkin Park with “One More Light Live”. The band’s first album since the death of singer Chester Bennington is a live set from their final tour with Bennington, recorded on the One More Light tour in Europe this year.
#38 G-Eazy with “The Beautiful & Damned”. Gerald Earl Gillum takes the name of his third album from the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel about overindulgence in the 1920s.
#48 Pitch Perfect 3 Soundtrack. In part a collection of tunes from The Bellas – the all-star band featuring the cast of the movie. Don’t miss the new all-girl guitar band Evermoist featuring Ruby Rose (pictured below).
