Thomas Rhett’s ‘Life Changes’ Is Country’s First No. 1 Album in 2017

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Nine months into the year, a country album has finally reached No. 1 on Billboard’s chart. Thomas Rhett’s “Life Changes” (Valory) opens with the equivalent of 123,000 album sales, including 94,000 copies sold as complete albums and 30 million streams, according to Nielsen.

But Mr. Rhett, who grew up in the music business as the son of the country singer Rhett Akins, is well versed in pop; there are enough synthesizer hooks on the album that one reviewer described it as “Chainsmokers Lite.”

Several other new releases reached high on the chart this week. The electronic duo Odesza opened at No. 2 with “A Moment Apart” (Counter/Ninja Tune), which had the equivalent of 63,000 sales. The brooding indie rockers the National started to No. 3 with “Sleep Well Beast” (4AD), the group’s first album in four years, which had 62,000. Jack Johnson’s “All the Light Above It Too” (Brushfire) opened at No. 5 with the equivalent of 44,000 sales.

Also this week, Lil Uzi Vert’s “Luv Is Rage 2,” which started at No. 1 two weeks ago, dropped two spots to No. 4 in its third week out, and XXXTentacion’s “17” fell three spots to No. 6.

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