Forecast: Usher Headed For Major Strides, Top 5 Remain Stable

New Entries & High Climbers
After adding two new entries last week (for a total of 4 since 2012), Usher's latest release, "She Came To Give It To You (feat. Nicki Minaj)" is set to be the top debut on this week's chart. Currently ranked at #14 on the building chart through this week's halfway mark, it's entirely possible that the track barely winds up within the top 20 when the week concludes, but an estimate around #25 to #30 would be a lot more reasonable. It's currently burning up in streaming and voting points, but US radio airplay has been nearly nonexistent at this point. Given that, I'm guessing only a handful of points will be derived from radio plays, which could cause it to open softer than expected. As I said earlier, a final week position between 25-30 would be a solid start and a win for Usher (who has had only one top 10 hit since 2012). It's guaranteed to be Nicki's 20th chart entry, further upping her lead as the artist with the most Hot 50 chart entries. Rihanna ranks in 2nd place with 18.

Usher's other tracks that will hold on the chart from last week (the Disclosure remix of "Good Kisser" and Chris Brown's "New Flame", which features Usher and Rick Ross) should also be able to muster up some decent business. "Good Kisser (Remix)", likely be the stronger of the two, ranks at #26 at the midweek stage. Despite a huge growth (it ranked at #46 when the final numbers came in last week), it has dropped off several positions from the start of the week (it at one point ranked at #20), so it's likely to drop more. It will likely wind up below "She Came To Give It To You (feat. Nicki Minaj)" this week, with a final rank between #35 to #40 being a good estimate.

Chris Brown's "New Flame" has had some trouble ranking up points this week (being snubbed by radio and other platforms), but could muster a several position increase at best. It's currently ranked at #40, but has held that position throughout the entire week so far. That leads me to believe it will hold strong through the week's end, with a final position just above or just below #40 likely.

T.I.'s "No Mediocre (feat. Iggy Azalea)" (which started off at a strong rank of #38 last week) is currently ranked at #11 through the midway stage, which is a huge lift of 27 positions. While it might wind up within the top 20, it's unlikely to reach the top 10... we'll see.

Tinashe's "2 On (feat. SchoolBoy Q)" is ranked at #21 at the midweek stage (it reached as high as #19  earlier this week), so I'm guessing it'll wind up with a 4 to 5 position gain from last week. More news soon.

Tracks Likely To Exit
- "Ultraviolence" by Lana Del Rey
- "Bloodstream" by Ed Sheeran

Top 5 Happenings
Maroon 5 is set to claim a second frame at #1, with Kiesza likely to reach the #2 for a fifth week with "Hideaway". That would put her in the top 2 for 11 weeks, the longest run in the region since OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" commanded the region for 13 straight weeks earlier this year. That song later went on to become the most successful single in my chart's history and is on its way to #1 for the end of 2014. Kiesza's other single ("Giant In My Heart") could snag the #3 position; Sanna Nielsen's former 3 week #1 "Undo" could ease 3-4 and Clean Bandit's "Rather Be" could drop 4-5 after peaking at #4 for 3 frames.

Come back for more news!

CDS 4th Of July Party Playlist (Part 1)

Thousands upon thousands of parties will be sweeping the United States tomorrow, as the country celebrates its 238th anniversary. July 4th marks the day that the United States declared their independence from Great Britain at the end of the Revolutionary War. In honor of the celebration, CDS Music Chart is offering a handmade playlist to help kick start your party. Instead of writing about each track, I've decided to include stats for each track on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 (if they haven't yet reached the Hot 50, I'll occasionally include a short description). Here's to a giant celebration!

This is Part 1 of a 2 part post! Part 2 coming soon.

Lana Del Rey Song Title Generator: What's Your New Album?

The novelties of life just keep expanding. Someone has come along and created a hilarious name generator for song titles that sound like they could actually be used by Lana Del Rey sometime in the near future. The generator places two random words that Lana Del Rey would use in separate song titles together for one hilarious song title.

Created in honor of the release of the singer's latest album, Ultraviolence, this week, the generator is loaded with food related items (Taco Bell, Nutella, Biscotti, etc.), places (Madison Avenue, Frechquarter, Fire Island, Upper East Side, etc.) and other words related to violence, drinking and drugs (blunt wraps, rehab, whiskey, shot gun, etc.).

You can check out my "album" of song titles below, and be sure to create your own at the link.

Disc 1
1. "Biscotti Rehab"
2. "Autoerotic Tiki Shack"
3. "Nutella Gal"
4. "Whiskey Chastity"
5. "Soft Serve Brunch"
6. "Vogue Regatta"
7. "Taco Bell Kush"
8. "Antoinette Shotgun"
9. "Fire Island Smiles"
10. "Upper East Side Murder"
11. "Crystalline Bitch"
12. "Juarez Rapture"
13. "Madison Avenue Synesthesia"
14. "Maudlin Bluntwraps"
15. "French Quarter Heroine"

Disc 2
1. "Scarlet Celluloid"
2. "Instagram Castaway"
3. "Kennedy Cellophane"
4. "Aztec Porno"
5. "Ponzi Scheme Bikini Wax"
6. "Red Hook Whore"
7. "Buffalo Massacre"
8. "Yale Poetry"
9. "Sepia Sugar Baby"
10. "Hydroponic Tatto"
11. "In-N-Out Crucifix"
12. "Kool Aid Darling"
13. "Cherry Bloodbath"
14. "Lolita Daddy"
15. "Heartless Delinquent"

The Lana Del-Smith-Lopez-Park Problem: New Releases (June 17th)

Note: This is one of the few times I will talk about sales and positions on Billboard (because there is no other way to write this post without mentioning them). I’m not affiliated with Billboard, iTunes or Amazon.

As the summer album release season kicks off, a slew of new releases are set to dominate the US album marketplace this week. With 7 major label artists debuting with new albums during this frame, it’s going to easily be one of the most grueling weeks of 2014.

So who are the front-runners?

Lana Del Rey’s sophomore full-length album Ultraviolence, the most critically acclaimed new debut of the week (with a 73/100 on Metacritic at press time), should wind up as the biggest seller of the week. Many industry professionals are forecasting a debut around 175,000 copies (digital and physical combined) though based on early numbers, I think it’s possible the album winds up around the 200,000 copy mark. Either way, sales will likely climb around 100,000 from Lana Del Rey’s debut album, Born to Die, which became a Platinum success in the United States. Born to Die started with around 75,000 copies, enough to snag a No. 2 position on the Billboard 200 (measuring the 200 most purchased albums of the week) behind eventual 24 week leader 21 by Adele.

Ultraviolence, which received a positive review from me, has benefited immensely from strong word of mouth as well as lots of promotion. Prior to the release of the album, 1 official single (“West Coast”) as well as 3 promotional/digital exclusive singles (“Brooklyn Baby”, “Ultraviolence” and “Shades of Cool”) were offered to fans as part of a thank you for pre-ordering the album. Unfortunately for Lana Del Rey, the two other largest releases followed a similar strategy (Linkin Park and Sam Smith), with one of them (Sam Smith) possibly working better. 

Before we get all wrapped up in the possibility that Sam Smith’s debut In the Lonely Hour - which will likely open with 160,000 or more first week copies - could wind up in first place above Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence, let’s look more closely at the details.

Yes, In the Lonely Hour did actually pull ahead of Ultraviolence briefly this Tuesday morning (though the latter has regained control of the chart). Additionally, many forecasters, reviewers and general consumers have noted that a non-deluxe version of In the Lonely Hour currently holds 6th place, which has led to lots of questions. But looking just a tad below the iTunes top 10 we find two more versions of Ultraviolence ranking at #15 and #18 (though when pre-order/yet to be released albums are removed, they stand at #13 and #16). That’s a pretty strong command of the region for Lana if you ask me.

To further discuss let’s whip out some numbers from single/promotional releases that preceded the album.

Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour has the luxury of being proceeded by three US Billboard Hot 100 top 20 singles: the #19 peaking “La La La” which features as a acoustic track (original by Naughty Boy in collaboration with Sam Smith), the #17 peaking “Latch” which features as a acoustic bonus track on the deluxe album (original by Disclosure in collaboration with Sam Smith) as well as the #10 peaking “Stay With Me” (which has been, and still is a strong digital seller). Promotional album efforts had more mixed success (in order from most to least successful): “I’m Not the Only One” debuted and has so far peaked at #69, “Leave Your Lover” debuted and peaked at #92 and fell of the chart after 1 week, and both “Money On My Mind” and “Lay Me Down” failed to make a dent (though they weren’t as heavily promoted).

 Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence performed about the same: lead single “West Coast” debuted and peaked at #16 and fell of the US Billboard Hot 100 the following week, “Shades of Cool” debuted and peaked at #79 and fell of the US Billboard Hot 100 the following week, and title track “Ultraviolence” debuted and peaked at #70 (it’s currently still listed). Final numbers for “Brooklyn Baby” have yet to be announced.

In terms of overall single sales, Sam Smith clearly has Lana Del Rey beat, but as proved time and time again, strong single sales don’t always equate to strong album sales (see Rihanna).

But ahh! There’s more.

Interestingly enough, Lana Del Rey’s entire Ultraviolence album has appeared on the iTunes 200 Singles chart. All 15 tracks are ranked, with 12 holding in the top 100 (the other three are just barely out of the region). Additionally, “Once Upon A Dream” (another 2014 Lana Del Rey track that wasn’t on the album) ranks within the top 200. 

Meanwhile, only 9 out of 14 tracks from Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour are in the top 200. Unfortunately for Smith, only two of those 9 are among the top 100, a fairly pitiful amount given the large amount of his tracks in the top 200. It’s also worth noting that In the Lonely Hour received more mixed reviews, while reviews for Ultraviolence (as previously mentioned) were much stronger. 

On Amazon, Ultraviolence leads the digital best sellers list and ranks at #12 with another version of the album. In the Lonely Hour ranks at #3 (behind Linkin Park’s The Hunting Party) and again at #10. On the physical best sellers list, Lana Del Rey appears at #1, #8 and #23 with her new release, while In the Lonely Houris only present at #3 (from what I can tell. Yet again, Linkin Park’s The Hunting Party is sandwiched in between. 

After weighing all the facts I think it’s safe to say that Lana Del Rey will be able to edge out new-comer Sam Smith by a wide enough margin to secure a #1 debut. Still, Smith will be able to put up a good fight againstUltraviolence. The real winner may in fact be Smith, mainly because it’s extremely difficult in this day and age to sell 150,000 copies or more with a debut album (back in the early 2000s that would have been an average debut opening).

Now that I’ve eaten up most of the time nitpicking at which albums will likely arrive in the top 2 rungs, let’s take a look at some other debuting albums that will score more modest openings slightly lower on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Hunting Party, Linkin Park’s 6th studio album and first since 2012’sLIVING THINGS, got off to a decent start when released at midnight on iTunes. First forecasted to sell 100,00 by the end of the week, The Hunting Party is now headed for a stronger debut upwards of 125,000. That’s a huge drop from the debut sales frame of June 2012’s LIVING THINGS(which wound up at No. 1 with over 220,000), but given the huge decline in sales in that short 2 year gap, 120,000 is still a number to be proud of. The Hunting Party is almost guaranteed to wind up in 3rd place (the first Linkin Park album to not reach #1 other than their debut set) no matter what.

The next highest debut will either come from deadmau5 or Jennifer Lopez. At this point, deadmau5’s effort, while (1<2), should be able to lock in the 4th highest debut with estimates point toward 40,000 sold - a 18,000 dive from the debut frame of the producer’s last album (physical and digital), but given the fact that it’s an early digital release only, digital sales should be on par with the producer’s last album (digital sales only; 41,000 versus 40,000 estimate). Even worse, Jennifer Lopez’s 8th studio album, A.K.A., will likely open between 30,000 and 40,000 copies sold. That’s a 40,000-50,000 copy drop off from her 2011 album, Love?, which started with an already meager 83,000. Currently, while (1<2) leadsA.K.A. in digital downloads (#5 versus #10), while A.K.A. obviously takes the lead in physical sales because nearly all physical retailers wont stock the new deadmau5 release until next week.

Still, these two albums could be barred from top 5 positions, as holdover No. 1 albums Platinum (Miranda Lambert) and Lazaretto (Jack White) could still post interesting numbers. If Lazaretto holds similarly to Jack White’s debut Blunderbuss, it’ll end its second frame with just over 50,000.

Finally, Tiësto’s latest effort should open with around 15,000 copies, which might translate to a top 20 open.

Who do you think will debut at #1? Is this battle already over, or is it just beginning? Let me know what you think below.

Album Review: Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey

Welcome to another CDS Music Chart album review! Today I will be reviewing Lana Del Rey's new album, Ultraviolence. The new album, primarily produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, spawned the massive worldwide hit single "West Coast" and a moderately successful second single, "Shades of Cool". First released on April 14th, "West Coast" interweaved between Lana's safe zones and new musical concepts that hadn't been seen on Lana Del Rey's previous releases. "Coast" reached #28 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, lasting on the chart for several months. The album's second single, "Shades of Cool", achieved moderate worldwide rankings upon its release on Monday, May 26th (Memorial Day).

So how does Ultraviolence musically measure up to its 2012 predecessor (Born to Die)? Find out in this classic track by track review of Lana Del Rey's 3rd studio album, Ultraviolence.

1. "Cruel World"
Starting off with the chilling, cringe fest that is "Cruel World", Ultraviolence opens on par with what I would typically expect. "Cruel World" isn't an out of the park hit, but at least it's a more powerful packed punch than her pervious efforts. So far, the era has captivated me in ways that her previous albums haven't. Kudos Lana!

2. "Ultraviolence"
The chilling sounds of "Ultraviolence" are unimaginably exquisite. The banging, clashing drums of the track work surprisingly well with Lana's frozen over vocals. It's honestly one of her best tracks (in my opinion one of her top 3), as it includes a memorable, distinctive chorus as well as a beat that might appeal to more than just her core base of fans. This new sound is incredible! Let's hope she continues in this style!

Read some more of my initial thoughts:

""West Coast" was a minor step up from her usual work (nothing major yet still very solid) and "Shades of Cool" was a decent yet awfully eerie attempt. That made me wonder: Is the Ultraviolence era going to get any better than this? The answer failed to reach my mind until the release of title track "Ultraviolence" this past week on iTunes.

The title track "Ultraviolence" is a major step up from anything else released during this album cycle (and it better than over 3/4 of all of Lana's officially released works)."

3. "Shades of Cool"
The texture and true depth of Ultraviolence as a collective masterpiece are finally seen for the first time on "Shades of Cool". The 6 plus minute track is jam packed with nostalgic sounding instrumentations, volumes of darkness and the thoughts of being alone with yourself, knowing that you'll never be able to fix your lover. While it certainly fails to bring something new to the table, it ain't anywhere near a disappointment either. Read my initial thoughts:

"Lets just put it this way: "Shades of Cool" is shady and cool, but it's not a major win for Lana Del Rey. It's pretty much just a bit above average for her, falling behind both its predecessor ("West Coast") and its fellow (and most comparable) track "Born to Die". Interestingly enough, it draws you in for more and more each time you give it a listen (captivating).

Nevertheless, "Shades of Cool" still blows away all the competition. It's swelling with passion, oozing with remorse and remains more classy and straightforward than anything else you'll see on the iTunes Top 200."

4. "Brooklyn Baby"

Similar to my opinion of "Ultraviolence" (the album's title track), I believe "Brooklyn Baby" is one of Lana's best tracks. It feels less dreary than her other recent outings ("Shades of Cool" most notably) and it's bound to be a US alternative/pop hit. Hopefully, the general public will embrace this amazing track and help propel it to success on both radio and on streaming services.

Read some more of my thoughts about the track below:

"It's not quite as good as "Ultraviolence" (listed a few songs above), but "Brooklyn Baby" is another clear win for Lana Del Rey. It's strong, it's vibrant and it feels more upbeat and enjoyable to the average listener. It feels like it could have some serious crossover potential (though the thought of that probably makes most "true Lana fans" want to barf), similar to what we saw happen to "Summertime Sadness". Oh, and just to clarify: the Cedric Gervais remix didn't "ruin" Lana Del Rey or her image. If anything it made more people appreciate her music; it broadened her fan base."

5. "West Coast"
While it might not be her strongest track to date, "West Coast" was a solid choice to be the lead single from Ultraviolence. Though mainly dominated by alternative sounds, "West Coast" contains some deeply highlighted pop sections (something that Lana desperately needed a little bit of) and a memorable chorus:

"I can see my baby swingin'

His Parliament's on fire and his hands are up

On the balcony and I'm singing

Ooh, baby, ooh, baby, I'm in love

I can see my sweet boy swayin'

He's crazy y Cubano como yo lala

On the balcony and I'm saying

Move baby, move baby, I'm in love"

Additionally, "West Coast" seems to appeal more to the average listener, while still pleasing true fans (that's an art in itself). It feels right for radio, but wrong for radio at the same time. It truly doesn't fit in with the other popular recent releases, but it's a welcomed game changer that needed to happen.

6. "Sad Girl"

I'm not quite sure why, but I get this James Bond movie theme feel from this track (which I think is a huge plus). On "Sad Girl", Lana hits some pretty high notes. These notes, coupled with a balanced back beat and exceptionally vibrant vocals, make for an evenly produced track that is among the album's finest works (though nothing has come close to my love for the title track yet).

7. "Pretty When You Cry"

The tear stained western inspired beats included on "Pretty When You Cry" are extremely welcomed, but I do have some issues with this track as whole. The chorus feels a little bit flat compared to those we saw on all of the six previous tracks, making this somewhat of a disappointment. Despite this, the track does pick up toward the tail end (thanks to the help of violently strummed guitar) but still, that alone is not enough of a fix to make the track one of the album's best.

8. "Money Power Glory"
Wow. This track is deliciously devious and easily a stand out. It's a complete eargasm that will make you instantly fall in love with Lana (unless you're already a mega fan), and of the first eight tracks on the new disc, it's probably either the second or the third best.

If you haven't given Lana a shot, you'll want to listen to this before you pass on Ultraviolence.

9. "F****d My Way Up To the Top"
It's an honest piece that's surprisingly great. "F****d My Way Up To the Top" is home to a hilariously honest and warm chorus, a memorable hook and tidbits of lyrics that are likely to be used as quotes by Lana Del Rey fans around the world (most notably "I'm a dragon, you're a whore/Don't know what you're good for").

At this point, I'm actually quite impressed with what's been displayed on Ultraviolence so far. It's mainly dark, gut tangling, spine tingling alternative stuff (like what we are all used to) but there are a whole bunch of added sub genres and tones (pop, rock, etc.) that make Ultraviolence seem more friendly when really it's not.

10. "Old Money"
I thought "Sad Girl" sounded like it could have been in a movie, but as we progress through the album, "Old Money" is clearly the most movie friendly track on the album. It's another great cut from Ultraviolence, and one of the album's better tracks (though most all of them are fairly solid).

Accompanied by violins and various other instruments, "Old Money" is a nice twist on the grungy sounds reflected throughout the rest of the album.

11. "The Other Woman"
I guess this is what you would expect after three solid tracks in a row ("Money Power Glory", "F****d My Way Up To the Top", and "Old Money"). Though it's surrounded by a medley of trumpets (set up in a 1930s fashion), "The Other Woman" is easily the second weakest link so far (maybe that's because it's a cover). It sounds different, but not different good (if you catch my drift). For the people who are set on purchasing the standard version, I suggest you change your plans because this is a somewhat disappointing closing track.

12. "Black Beauty"
No. This is not the same "Black Beauty" we've all heard a billion times before. This version is a completely reworked rendition of the original version. It starts off typically slow, before exploding into a wave of darkness as Lana Del Rey's vocals soar high into the clouds. It's a nice twist on a fan favorite classic demo.

13. "Guns and Roses"
It's a bit on the simpler side, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. "Guns and Roses" is yet another true standout from the album (though at this point I've said this for nearly every track), complete with an electrified guitar background.

14. "Florida Kilos"
Fueled by an adult contemporary back beat and a tropical vibe, "Florida Kilos" seems somewhat cheesy but it feels more full of life than the rest of the album. It's a bit like a mix of previously released tracks "Cola" and "Yayo", drawing heavy influences from both of those tracks as well as creating something brand new. It's a solid bonus track that should have been included on the standard edition as well.

15. "Is This Happiness" (iTunes Exclusive/Japanese Bonus)
Now this is the proper conclusion to an album that saw Lana Del Rey really come out of the fogginess of the Born to Die era. "Is This Happiness" does somewhat undo the work that Ultraviolence worked hard on, yet it feels like a necessary conclusion that I'm pretty much sure we all saw coming. It feels more free than some of the album's other ventures and returns us to the early stages of Lana's now powerful worldwide career. While it's nothing we haven't heard already, "Is This Happiness" is a dive back into Born to Die, a welcomed one indeed.

Rating: 89/100 (B+)
Certified Fresh

Overview: Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence is still a dark, moody assortment of tracks (like her previously released Born to Die), but last minute production courtesy of The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach helps give the album a more life like figure. The tones and sounds are more varied, instead of all the same and the songwriting and overall lyrical quality towers slightly above her prior albums. Unfortunately, Ultraviolence feels very similar to Born to Die, mainly because the subject matter on the album remains mostly unchanged (though, as I said earlier, the quality of the writing is a marked improvement). Then yet again, Ultraviolence has certain qualities that other albums don't, which make it more unique and more welcome in the extremely competitive (and occasionally dull) world of music. Several tracks instantly hit me as songs that could become hits (notably the title track, "Old Money" and "F****d My Way Up to the Top"), and there were very few disappointments ("The Other Woman" and "Pretty When You Cry"). Overall, Ultraviolence is a strong effort that really affirms Lana's role in the music industry. Her blend of magical vocals, darkened themes and brutal undertones are a key to success... though I'm pretty sure that nobody else would want to attempt to challenge Del Rey for the spot on the alternative music throne.

Rewind the Hot 50: Is Lana Del Rey's 3 In A Row A Record?

If you're a long time reader of my blog, you'll note that lots of artists have doubled up with tracks on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 (back to back position/placing). Many artists including Adele, Robin Thicke, Marina & the Diamonds, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez, Sia, Pitbull, Eminem, Sharon Doorson, Carrie Underwood, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Loreen, Bruno Mars, Karmin, Katy Perry, Cher Lloyd, Justin Timberlake and Ke$ha have all done it once or twice. However, some other artists have achieved this feat numerous times - some of which were during back to back weeks. The artist with the most number of 2 back to back positioned tracks? Surprisingly Maroon 5 with a massive count of 23 back to back pair spread across 22 weeks. Other artists with around 6 or more counts are Ellie Goulding, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris, Christina Aguilera, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Beyoncé and Rihanna.

But what's more impressive than that? Artist who strung together 3 back-to-back-to-back tracks. The first artist to achieve this feat was Nicki Minaj on 2/9/12 (no surprise there). Drake did it next on 2/23/12. Rihanna followed on 3/29/12 and Pitbull did it a month later on 4/26/12. Then after five months of silence, P!nk (aided by a top 10 debut) took 3 back-to-back-to-back tracks into the top 10 on 9/26/12. Surprisingly, P!nk did it again the following week... and yet again the following week, becoming the first and only artist to string together 3 back-to-back-to-back tracks in 3 consecutive weeks. A few months later, Maroon 5 became the first artist to string together tracks in 4 consecutive position on a single issue. At the tail end of 2013, Lady Gaga became the second artist to string together 3 back-to-back-to-back tracks in multiple consecutive weeks. On November 21st, 2013 Lady Gaga became the second artist to string together tracks in 4 consecutive position on a single issue.

So, no. Lana Del Rey's 3 position string on this week's chart is not a record feat, yet still it's somewhat impressive.