Thomas Rhett’s new album, Center Point Road, which dropped on May 31, debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, as well as the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. According to Nielsen Music, Center Point Road moved 76,000 equivalent units, representing the biggest opening week for any country album in 2019.
The 16-song album takes its name from the street in his Tennessee hometown that shaped much of his life experiences. TR co-penned every track on the album, which also features a who’s who of top songwriters, including Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure, Karen Fairchild and more. In addition, the album features a number of collaborations with other artists, including Kelsea Ballerini (“Center Point Road”), Little Big Town (“Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time”) and Jon Pardi (“Beer Can’t Fix”).
“For me, Center Point Road really symbolizes what it was like to grow up in Hendersonville [Tennessee],” says TR. “First dates, first football games, first heartbreak, first kisses, success and failures. I really feel like that road shaped who I am today, and it felt fitting because the record, for the most part, is pretty nostalgic. Songs like ‘Almost,’ ‘That Old Truck’ and especially ‘Center Point Road,’ really describe who I was as a kid and teenager, and who I’ve become as an adult.”
TR is the first country artist to top the Billboard 200 chart since Kane Brown in November 2018. TR’s 2017 album, Life Changes, also reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com