Dierks Bentley’s Broken Branches misses the Billboard 200, marking the first time a major label … More
For years, Dierks Bentley was regarded as one of the biggest names in country music. For well over a decade, every time he released a new full-length, it rocketed straight into the top 10 on many of Billboard’s albums charts, and every project became a bestseller.
The singer-songwriter reached a new low with his previous album in 2023, but it’s his latest set that truly disappoints, as it arrives — or more accurately, misses — important rankings.
Dierks Bentley Misses the Billboard 200
Bentley released his new album Broken Branches on June 13. Now that its first full tracking frame has passed, the project debuts on a handful of Billboard lists. Sadly, it completely misses the Billboard 200, the main ranking of the most consumed full-lengths and EPs in the U.S.
Luminate reports that the last title on the Billboard 200 this week, the Moana soundtrack, shifted 8,500 equivalent units. That means Bentley’s latest project didn’t quite move that many copies in its first week of availability, as its opening sum was not shared by the data company.
A Career First: Dierks Bentley Misses the Main Chart
Bentley has never seen one of his major label albums fail to crack the Billboard 200. His debut full-length Don’t Leave Me in Love, which dropped in 2001 on an independent label, never charted. His 2003 self-titled follow-up — his first for Capitol Nashville — rose to No. 26 and was eventually certified platinum.
The singer-songwriter’s next eight projects all reached the Billboard 200’s top 10, with Black bringing him to the runner-up space, his all-time peak.
Gravel & Gold, which arrived in February 2023, missed the mark as it peaked at No. 73. That still stands as his career-low point on the Billboard 200, as his latest doesn’t even make it onto the tally.
Broken Branches Finds Some Success
Broken Branches does manage to debut on both the Top Album Sales and Top Country Albums charts. On those rankings, Bentley’s latest opens at Nos. 27 and 41, respectively. Luminate reports that the country artist’s new set sold a little more than 3,800 copies in its first seven days of availability, which places it almost perfectly in the middle of the 50-spot Top Album Sales roster.
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