It did not match the opening week tally for predecessor “Battle Studies,” but given the circumstances and climate, “Born and Raised” commenced reasonably well for John Mayer.
Coming off an album that paled in critical comparison to his career-defining “Continuum” and a plethora of bad press that ultimately led to a reduced profile, Mayer proved he still has his fans engaged. “Born and Raised” easily topped the charts with an estimated 231,146 sales, according to Hits Daily Double.
The actual Nielsen Soundscan data reported by Billboard will differ slightly, but Mayer’s dominant position on the Billboard 200 sales chart will be uncontested. Adele’s “21,” the nearest competitor, figures to perform in the 50,000 range.
“Battle Studies” debuted in 2009 to 280,000 sales and produced fairly-successful singles in “Who Says,” “Heartbreak Warfare” and “Half of My Heart.” But sales and chart data notwithstanding, none of those songs rose to the profile of “Continuum”‘s “Waitin’ on the World to Change” and “Bucket List” soundtrack gem “Say” and therefore did not mount anticipation for “Born and Raised” the way the “Continuum”-era hits did for “Battle Studies.”
“Born and Raised,” considered a step up from “Battle Studies” but still leagues beneath “Continuum” from an artistic standpoint, has banked on “Shadow Days” as its opening single. That song has not yet broken through.
Even though “Born and Raised” remains successful against expectations, it is worth noting that it delivered Mayer’s worst opening sales week since 2001 debut “Room for Squares.”