Joey + Rory First No. 1 on Top Country Albums & Christian Albums Charts

Selling 65,000 copies in its debut week, Joey + Rory Feek's new album is heading for the #1 spot on Billboard Top Christian and Country Albums charts in the week ending Feb. 18, according to industry forecasters. Hymns that Are Important to Us will also make a handsome bow within the top 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200 (all of which are career-high ranks for the duo).

They have previously logged seven entries on the Top Country Albums chart, including two top 10s: The Life of a Song (No. 10 peak in 2008) and Album Number Two (No. 9 in 2010). On the Billboard 200, they've placed four titles on the list, going as high as No. 60 with Album Number Two.

Despite Joey's battle with terminal Stage IV cancer, the Christian country duo recorded the new album last year as Joey was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She's currently in hospice care at home in Indiana, after the cancer returned and the couple decided to end treatment.

Here's part of our review of their new album:  "Rory and co-producer Joe West must be applauded for doing an excellent job in making these recordings sound cohesive and never jejune.  If you had not known about Joey's condition, you would not have guessed that the vocals come from a thing and frail lady who is at the throes of death. Together with a chorus of children, Joey sounds like she was in the pink of health when she delivers "Jesus Loves Me" with her western cowgirl verve.  Similarly, the Southern Gospel favorite, "I'll  Fly Away," receives a bluegrass kick from Joey.  She showcases her crystalline voice on Will Thompson's "Softly and Tenderly," taking her time to nuance the different shades of emotions that we first feel when we first hear the call of Jesus Christ to come home." 

The album is available in a number of formats, including a version exclusive to Cracker Barrel that features a 48-page booklet of stories, photos and memories written by Joey + Rory, and a CD/DVD edition that includes a live concert performance recorded in 2015.

 

 

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