Who would dare compete with Taylor Swift this week?
2014 pop-country breakthrough Sam Hunt, that is who.
Hunt, whose “Leave the Night On” is now the most-played song at country radio, launched his debut LP “Montevallo” against Swift’s juggernaut “1989.”
And while its opening week sales count will not remotely contend with that album’s projected 1.1 million-plus debut total, it is off to a solid start.
Based on early sales, Hits Daily Double forecasts a bow in the 60-65,000 range. A debut in that range would convincingly best the 42,000 moved last week by Little Big Town’s “Pain Killer” and fall within 20% of the 74,000 moved by Lady Antebellum’s recent release “74.”
Hunt’s album is expected to rank third among newcomers. In addition to the Swift album, the “NOW 52” compilation will also start with a higher mark (Hits projects 90-95,000).