Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The big American Idol news on the music charts this week was the debut of Danny Gokey’s first post-Idol album, “My Best Days.”

It checked in at number four on the Billboard 200, better than the debuts for Kris Allen (11) and Allison Iraheta (35) and just below Adam Lambert (3).

Danny Gokey’s album even nudged Carrie Underwood’s “Play On” down a couple of notches on the country album chart, where “My Best Days” debuted at number three.

Carrie, of course, will be just fine. She just opened her “Play On” tour in Reading (go here for links to reviews of her concert, go to the bottom of this blog for a video treat from the show). And her latest single, “Temporary Home,” continued to climb the country singles chart.

It’s all the way up to number 5. If it hits number one, as the now platinum “Cowboy Casanova” did, it will mark Carrie’s ninth number one country single. Her last single not to reach that mark — “I Told You So.” It only climbed as high as number two. Go figure.

Here’s a rundown of all the Idols on the music charts this week.

Kris Allen: “Live Like We’re Dying” moves up one spot on the pop song chart, from 12 to 11, but dips two spots to number 20 on the Hot 100 chart. “Let It Be,” the American Idol single to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti, falls from 63 to 70 in its second week on the charts. Kris’ album is number 92 on the Billboard 200, 10 spots down from a week ago.

Daughtry: “Life After You” continues its slow assault on the Hot 100, moving up from 41 to a new high of 39. The band’s album also got a boost, jumping from 56 to 35 on the Billboard 200. It’s number four among rock albums. That band’s debut is number 151 on the Billboard 200.

Danny Gokey: His single, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me,” also showed up on the Hot 100 and the country singles chart, checking in at 82 and 29, respectively.

Adam Lambert: “For Your Entertainment” didn’t fare very well on the Hot 100, but it has climbed all the way to number five on the dance club chart. That’s a one-spot advance and a new peak. “Whataya Want From Me,” Adam’s latest single, moves from 17 to 15 among pop songs, from from 24 to 25 on the Hot 100. His album is back at number 49, its highest position in a month.

Blake Lewis: “Heartbreak on Vinyl,” the title track off Blake’s new CD, advances from 19 to 15 on the club play chart; it’s been out for six weeks.

Kellie Pickler: “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You” had a long run on the country singles chart, peaking at 14, but has now dropped out of the top 30. Kellie’s album is number 37 among country CDs, down from 33.

Ruben Studdard: “Don’t Make ‘Em Like U No More” holds steady at number 41 on the R&B singles chart. It peaked at number 32 three weeks ago.

Carrie Underwood: “Play On” drops from five to nine on the country album chart, partly because of heady debuts for new releases from Gokey and Blake Shelton. It’s 28 on the Billboard 200, down from 21 last week. “Some Heart,” Carrie’s debut album, is 161 on the Billboard 200. In addition to being number five on the country singles chart, “Temporary Home” moves up four spots to number 48 on the Hot 100.

Now for the treat, video of one of the more elaborate new features of a Carrie Underwood concert … she goes airborne to sing John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Road.”

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