RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Billboard — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
Shaboozey ’s The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales debuts on multiple Billboard charts (dated Aug. 15), led by a No. 1 launch on Independent Albums. The set also starts at No. 3 on Americana/Folk Albums, No. 4 on Top Country Albums and No. 12 on the all-genre Billboard 200 with 31,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States from its release, on American Dogwood/EMPIRE, July 31 through Aug. 6, according to Luminate. The 20-track collection follows Shaboozey’s breakthrough Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going , which in June 2024 debuted at No. 1 on Independent Albums and Americana/Folk Albums and at its bests of No. 2 on Top Country Albums and No. 5 on the Billboard 200. It includes “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which ruled Hot Country Songs for 45 weeks, the second-longest command in the chart’s history. A deluxe edition added the top 10s “Good News” and “Amen,” the latter with Jelly Roll. All hit No. 1 on Country Airplay. With Cherie Lee , Shaboozey goes all-in on the Western concept. The album tells the story of its fictional title character through songs and spoken-word vignettes, with Sam Elliott, Jamie Foxx and Teyana Taylor among those lending their voices. Leon Bridges, Gunna, Kehlani and Orville Peck also appear. Concept albums aren’t common in country, but famous precedents stand out. Johnny Cash delved into the form on projects including 1960’s Ride This Train and 1966’s Mean as Hell! (Ballads of the True West) , the latter a No. 4 entry on Top Country Albums. In 1975, Willie Nelson’s landmark five-week No. 1 Red Headed Stranger similarly built a Western narrative around a fugitive preacher. Sturgill Simpson explored the Kentucky frontier on 2021’s The Ballad of Dood & Juanita (No. 3), while 2022’s Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville took a somewhat different approach, linking songs through characters in an imaginary small town. Shaboozey has described Where I’ve Been as essentially a personal journal, and Cherie Lee as a chance to focus more on storytelling, counting George Lucas, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Western art and photography as influences behind it. Cherie Lee ’s arrival also sparks activity on Hot Country Songs. “Cowgirl” vaults 22-11 for a new high, with 6.6 million official streams, 910,000 radio audience impressions and 2,000 sold. “Bullets & Blades,” featuring Kehlani, debuts at No. 42 (3 million streams) and “Burn It Down,” with Bridges, opens at No. 50 (2.1 million). Kehlani and Bridges each make their first visits to the chart.
Related
Shaboozey’s ‘The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales’: Every Track Ranked
Shaboozey Reveals He & Jelly Roll Play Basketball & Hit Saunas Together, How “Born To Die” Speaks to the Theme Of His New Album | ACM Awards 2026
Shaboozey’s Outlaw Era Rides on With ‘Born to Die’: Stream It Now
“I poured all of myself into this and I hope people become as immersed in the world and the journey as I have,” Shaboozey shared in a statement in April. “This album was a promise to myself and something, no matter what, I had to keep. It pushed my songwriting and storytelling to new heights, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.