PLANETSHAKERS / ARIA
Planetshakers’ new EP – Momentum (Live In Manila) this week debuts on the ARIA album chart at #20.
The chart lists the best selling albums in Australia with sales certified by the Australian Record Industry Association.
This is the fourth time the worship group has been on the national chart.
It first appeared in March 2014 when the album Endless Praise peaked at #30. In October that year This Is Our Time scored the same position, and last year #Let’s Go reached #28 in September.
Momentum (Live In Manila) is the group’s highest debut on the nation’s official music chart representing sales from more than 1200 retailers, departments, chain stores, streaming outlets and digital providers.
Sydney’s Young & Free is still in the Top 50 with its album Youth Revival after five weeks. It debuted at #3 in early March and is #41 this week.
And Californian worship group, Bethel Music has fallen out of the top 50 this week after just two weeks. Its album Have It All debuted at #8 three weeks ago and dropped to #32 last week.
According to ARIA, the best selling Christian albums in Australia released in the past five years are:
UNITED’s Zion, as well as Hillsong Worship’s No Other Name, God is Able and Cornerstone. Each has attained gold status for more than 35 000 sales.
==
JAMES MORRISON
Australian jazz great James Morrison will perform for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House later this month.
Morrison – a Christian – has been chosen to contribute to all all-star line-up alongside some of the world’s biggest names in music including Aretha Franklin, Sting, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea.
The White House will ‘house’ the 5th annual International Jazz Day on April 29.
Morrison says he’s delighted to be performing for the President of the United States and the First Lady as he’s played for Presidents Bush and Clinton on their official visits to Australia.
He says the invitation shows that Australian music is up there with the very best.
==
OTHER NEWS
Finally… My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 – the highly anticipated follow up to the highest grossing romantic comedy movie of all time – features some ‘interesting’ music on the soundtrack.
Mandisa – who best known for the songs Overcomer, Stronger and My Deliverer, sings her version of the 1979 Sister Sledge song We Are Family, and New Empire singer Jeremy Fowler introduces his side project Parisian and sings his new song Strangers In Love.
