Gary Allan Cracks Top 10, Cassadee Pope Has 'Stupid' Debut

The Associated Press, Thursday, December 20, 2012, 2:01pm (PST)

Billboard -- Gary Allan cracks the Country Airplay top 10 for the first time in exactly five years, as "Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)" leaps 12-9 in its 16th chart week.

He most recently entered the upper tier when "Watching Airplanes" rose 13-10 on the chart dated Dec. 29, 2007 (this week's charts are for the Dec. 29, Billboard issue date), then peaked at No. 2 nine weeks later. In the intervening years, Allan's best rank was a No. 13 peak with "Learning How to bend" in the summer of 2008. The new song is Allan's 11th top 10, three of which spent time at the summit -- "Man to Man" and Tough Little Boys" in 2003, and "Nothing On But The Radio" in 2004.

Nielsen SoundScan reports total sales of approximately 445,000 for "Rain," which introduces Allan's next album, due January 22 and titled "Set You Free."

KENNY ADDS TO RECORD: Also noteworthy on Country Airplay, Kenny Chesney achieves his 44th career top 10 with "El Cerrito Place," which steps 11-10 in its 14th chart week. Since he first reached the upper tier in June 1995, Chesney leads all artists in top 10 achievements, followed by Tim McGraw (42), George Strait (41), Toby Keith (36) and Alan Jackson (33). During the Nielsen BDS era (since January 1990), Strait leads with 60 top 10's, followed by Jackson (51), McGraw (47), Chesney (44) and Keith (42).

STILL CRUISING: Florida Georgia Line 's "Cruise" claims a third straight week at No. 1 on Country Airplay, marking the most weeks at No. 1 for any artist's first charted title in more than eight years. No such song has spent more than two weeks atop the chart since Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" led for five weeks in the spring of 2004. In terms of promoted country singles, the rookie duo's stay is the longest since Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" stacked six weeks in 2006. Before that single charted, Underwood placed a pair of songs on the Country Airplay list in 2005, including "Bless the Broken Road," which spent one week on the chart at No. 50, followed by a 12-week run with "Inside Your Heaven," which stopped at No. 52.

POPE POWER: While "Cruise" also logs a second week atop Country Songs, the track is displaced atop Country Digital songs by "Voice" winner, Cassadee Pope, who debuts at No. 1 with "Stupid Boy," a top five hit in 2007 on Country Airplay by Keith Urban. Pope's performance on the NBC show also lifts Urban's original to a No. 44 debut (10,000 sold) on Country Digital Songs.

ODDS/ENDS: Hot Shot Debut honors on Country Albums is handed to The Music of Nashville: Season 1, Volume 1, which opens at No. 4 with 56,000 sold. Taylor Swif t's Red leads Country Albums with 208,000 sold-she earns Greatest Gainer stripes with an increase of 41,000.

Related article on Billboard.com:

Cassadee Pope Wins 'The Voice' Season 3

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