Post by spekoek on Dec 18, 2007 15:22:57 GMT 10
As sales of his Christmas album snowball into the record books, Josh Groban is shaping up as 2007's biggest gift to the music industry.
Noel, released Oct. 9, is No. 1 for the third week straight, tying a record for holiday albums set by Elvis Presley's Elvis' Christmas Album in 1957.
Last week, he sold 581,000 copies, a gain of 8% over the previous week's haul of 539,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And early indicators point to a fourth chart-topping week with an even bigger take when SoundScan data are announced Wednesday for the week ending Sunday.
"It would be the first time a No. 1 album has increased four weeks in a row," says Billboard's Geoff Mayfield. "It's been a slow year, but that doesn't take anything away from the fact that he has amassed huge numbers."
Now at 2.1 million copies, Noel could easily reach 3 million, making it the only title issued in 2007 to hit that mark. He's in striking distance of surpassing High School Musical 2, which leads the sales pack this year with 2.5 million copies, followed by Daughtry, the 2006 debut by American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry, with 2.3 million.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Christmas | Nielsen Soundscan | Elvis Presley | Philharmonic | Noel | Christmas Song | Josh Groban | Christmas music
Groban has a shot at "being the top dog," says Mayfield, noting boosts that the pop-classical singer got from an Oprah appearance and other TV slots.
"He's always benefited from TV exposure. He's not the kind of artist to get a lot of radio play. The record is a good marriage of talent and repertoire that appeals to older consumers."
Noel's cash register jingle was "completely unexpected," says Groban, 26. "I saw it as a nice gift to fans. These are songs that have been blasting from my family's house my entire life."
For his fourth studio album, recorded in June with the London Philharmonic and guests ranging from Faith Hill to Brian McKnight, he and producer David Foster chose Silent Night, Little Drummer Boy, First Noel and other serious secular and sacred material, steering clear of merrier fare.
Groban's favorite holiday recordings are Mel Tormé's The Christmas Song and Christmas hymns by Luciano Pavarotti.
"I also love goofy ones like Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, but we wanted classic, traditional songs that made sense for my voice," Groban says.
"Whether you like Christmas music or not, the melodies are beautiful, and we ended up with a true crossover effort. We even got the London symphony to play jazz horns. It was a real musical journey."
But it's not one he's likely to repeat.
"It would be tough to raise the bar," Groban says. "I had to have my arm twisted a bit to do this one. Despite the success, I think my fans understand this is a side project, and creatively, there's a lot more I need to do."
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-12-17-josh-groban_N.htm
Noel, released Oct. 9, is No. 1 for the third week straight, tying a record for holiday albums set by Elvis Presley's Elvis' Christmas Album in 1957.
Last week, he sold 581,000 copies, a gain of 8% over the previous week's haul of 539,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And early indicators point to a fourth chart-topping week with an even bigger take when SoundScan data are announced Wednesday for the week ending Sunday.
"It would be the first time a No. 1 album has increased four weeks in a row," says Billboard's Geoff Mayfield. "It's been a slow year, but that doesn't take anything away from the fact that he has amassed huge numbers."
Now at 2.1 million copies, Noel could easily reach 3 million, making it the only title issued in 2007 to hit that mark. He's in striking distance of surpassing High School Musical 2, which leads the sales pack this year with 2.5 million copies, followed by Daughtry, the 2006 debut by American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry, with 2.3 million.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Christmas | Nielsen Soundscan | Elvis Presley | Philharmonic | Noel | Christmas Song | Josh Groban | Christmas music
Groban has a shot at "being the top dog," says Mayfield, noting boosts that the pop-classical singer got from an Oprah appearance and other TV slots.
"He's always benefited from TV exposure. He's not the kind of artist to get a lot of radio play. The record is a good marriage of talent and repertoire that appeals to older consumers."
Noel's cash register jingle was "completely unexpected," says Groban, 26. "I saw it as a nice gift to fans. These are songs that have been blasting from my family's house my entire life."
For his fourth studio album, recorded in June with the London Philharmonic and guests ranging from Faith Hill to Brian McKnight, he and producer David Foster chose Silent Night, Little Drummer Boy, First Noel and other serious secular and sacred material, steering clear of merrier fare.
Groban's favorite holiday recordings are Mel Tormé's The Christmas Song and Christmas hymns by Luciano Pavarotti.
"I also love goofy ones like Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, but we wanted classic, traditional songs that made sense for my voice," Groban says.
"Whether you like Christmas music or not, the melodies are beautiful, and we ended up with a true crossover effort. We even got the London symphony to play jazz horns. It was a real musical journey."
But it's not one he's likely to repeat.
"It would be tough to raise the bar," Groban says. "I had to have my arm twisted a bit to do this one. Despite the success, I think my fans understand this is a side project, and creatively, there's a lot more I need to do."
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-12-17-josh-groban_N.htm
?
I think my grandma even might be close 
.. I'd be interested in knowing where it was in the Australian charts... I'm in Lithgow at the moment, and couldn't help craning my neck as I drove by the music shop (and no, I didn't crash into anything, although it was a definite risk) and Josh was front and centre in the display outside the shop. I could tell from the road. I'm very proud