When 2012 started, if somebody would have predicted that Lionel Richie, a legacy act who barely charted with his last album, would have the #2 album of the first half of the year, behind only Adele's 21, they likely would have been put in a rubber room. But that's just what has happened. Tuskegee, Richie's enjoyable country duets album with the likes of Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Darius Rucker and a host of others, has been hanging around the top of the charts since its release at the end of March. And Richie's omnipresence on television over the past few months, combined with his current tour with Jimmy Buffett, is putting him in front of even more fans.

Expect this album to not only boost the career of the 62 year old Richie, but to become a strategic and marketing template for other aging singers looking to find their audience again, much as Michael McDonald's Motown album did during the last decade. Congratulations to Lionel.

http://www.soultracks.com...l-richie-2

Adele and Lionel have the best selling albums of 2012 thus far? So, do you guys think the public is finally getting tired of the same ole generic, recycled teeny bopper music and are finally trying to get back to people who are actually concentrating solely on singing without the props and gimmicks?

Where's asq?

It's a duets album. Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Santana, B.B. King, & Ray Charles had some success in their later years with them.

Good for him!

you get fans of all the other artists buying these, plus it's a novelty, plus it's countryfied, so all these things boost sales. it's not going to stay at number 1 for 24 weeks or anything though. it came out ages ago too. it's not a bad album either, but it didn't have me dancing on the ceiling or anything

^ this Lionel Richie album sells lots and lots in Denmark,

cuz of the duet with danish pop singer Rasmus Seebach.

(Rasmus is son of the late, cult kitsch pop singer Tommy Seebach).

Here:

the son, danish pop singer Rasmus Seebach with Lionel Richie:

[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/LionelRichieandRasmusSeebach.jpg[/img:$uid]

"Say You, Say Me".

CynicKill said:

Good for him!

unique said:

you get fans of all the other artists buying these, plus it's a novelty, plus it's countryfied, so all these things boost sales. it's not going to stay at number 1 for 24 weeks or anything though. it came out ages ago too. it's not a bad album either, but it didn't have me dancing on the ceiling or anything

Did this guy actually havae the No. 2 album in 1984? The year that had Born in the USA and Purple Rain?

Jagar said:

Born in the USA and Purple Rain

biggest sellout of all time

JoeTyler said:

biggest sellout of all time

I would't call him a sellout. People tend to forget in the early 70's, it wasn't unusual for black artists to record country tunes. Tina Turner and Mille Jackson both recorded country albums. Millie's 70's albums often contained country tunes. Rufus and Chaka had country tunes on their first two albums. Then, there was Ray Charles and the Pointer Sisters. I'm sure there were others. Disco killed all that.

At least Lionel is not trying to be trendy by recording an album in autotune, filled with a bunch of guest rappers and humiliating himself just to appeal to a younger audience. Now, that would be the ultimate sellout.

kitbradley said:

JoeTyler said:

biggest sellout of all time

I would't call him a sellout. People tend to forget in the early 70's, it wasn't unusual for black artists to record country tunes. Tina Turner and Mille Jackson both recorded country albums. Millie's 70's albums often contained country tunes. Rufus and Chaka had country tunes on their first two albums. Then, there was Ray Charles and the Pointer Sisters. I'm sure there were others. Disco killed all that.

At least Lionel is not trying to be trendy by recording an album in autotune, filled with a bunch of guest rappers and humiliating himself just to appeal to a younger audience. Now, that would be the ultimate sellout.

in memphis the same session musicians would play on rnb tunes and country tunes. literally one day the guys would play on something from someone like aretha, and then the next day play with willie nelson, then al green, then kenny rogers