Brad Paisley’s “American Saturday Night” debuts at #1

Superstar Brad Paisley released his new album, “American Saturday Night,” on June 30, and fans were clearly ready for the weekend – or Saturday, at least – with first-week sales of more than 129,000 copies propelling the release to a #1 debut on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Already home to “Then” – his record-setting 10th consecutive #1 single – American Saturday Night continues Paisley’s #1 streak in another way, becoming his fifth consecutive non-seasonal album to debut as the nation’s country best-seller.

“Then,” which spent three weeks at #1 on the country airplay charts, helped fuel the excitement surrounding American Saturday Night, as has Paisley’s current tour and the array of media and critical praise that have accompanied the album’s release.

Among the accolades, the Los Angeles Times heralded Paisley’s American Saturday Night as “a collection that constitutes an important step forward for him, and for country music itself,” with the Washington Post calling American Saturday Night “superb,” declaring Paisley “as versatile an artist as Nashville has produced in years.”

Entertainment Weekly cheered, “Paisley discs usually include instrumentals, comedy sketches, and gospel. Here, he drops that lovable detritus, going for constant home runs,” while The Boston Globe lauded, “It’s hard to remember the last time a Top 40 country album was so relaxed and shuffling yet still powerfully resonant and intimate.”

The New York Times took special note of Paisley’s deft way with a lyric, praising, “The great pleasure in his songs is hearing them the first time: the titles tell you what the assignments are, and you’re not quite sure how he’s going to pull them off,” while the Chicago Sun-Times proclaimed the three-time GRAMMY winner “the most important act in mainstream country music.”

On Friday, Paisley performed on ABC’s Good Morning America summer concert series and the syndicated Live with Regis and Kelly, and fans can be on the lookout for Brad all over, including cover stories in Reader’s Digest, Southwest Spirit, and Cowboys & Indians magazines.

American Saturday Night marks the eighth album from the reigning three-time ACM and two-time CMA Male Vocalist winner. In all, Paisley’s albums have launched 14 #1 singles – and the last 10 in a row – with album sales in excess of 10 million units, including his 2x-Platinum 2005 ACM and CMA Album of the Year, Time Well Wasted.