As of time this story is being reported Solange‘s new album, ‘A Seat at the Table,’ is taking a seat at the #1 spot on iTunes.
The “surprise” release, which has spurred some seriously high praise from critics, comes as quite the crowning achievement for the 30-year-old who – at one period of time – was quite the polarizer on the critical front. While some praised the eclecticism found on her last official LP (2008’s ‘Sol-Angel & the Hadley Street Dreams’), others argued the singer/songwriter was “trying too hard” to visually and sonically distance herself from the offerings of her older sister Beyonce.
Interestingly enough, fast forward 8 years, the superstar siblings have dropped albums that mirror each other more than ever. But, from where we stand, Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ tasted a bit more experimental versus ‘Seat at the Table’ which finally sees Solo find her best footing in a lane that is authentically hers.
From the looks of her predicted sales, record buyers agree:
1st week sales: 47-51k, 34-38k
With the figures above Solo is set to land the highest first week chart position of her career, a potential top 5 debut. Her debut album, ‘Solo Star,’ peaked at #49 while its follow-up, ‘Hadley Street Dreams,’ peaked at #9 the week of its 2008 debut. As ‘Dreams’ earned that peak spot to the tune of 46,000 sold, ‘Seat at the Table’ – released nearly a decade later – definitely should earn the singer a nod from naysayers for consistency if nothing else as she is still capturing the same amount of listeners.
Congratulations are all the way due for the singer/songwriter. The win was a long time coming! [source]