YOUR NEW RELEASES: J. Cole is “Apparently” (to borrow his single title) headed for a boffo bow; he’s due to unseat Taylor Swift for #1 on next week's chart. Here are this week's key releases, with album reads first, followed by Sales Plus Streaming (SPS):
J. Cole (Roc Nation/Columbia) 320-350k sales / 335-360k SPS
Carrie Underwood (19/Arista Nashville) 85-90k sales / 90-95k SPS
K. Michelle (Atlantic) 75-80k sales / 80-85k SPS
Smashing Pumpkins (BMG) 17-19k sales / 18-20k SPS
In other new-release news, the FX/Fox/Columbia ST to biker drama Sons of Anarchy, which concluded last night, is now in pre-order at iTunes. We've already noted that both the Ed Sheeran song from a prior episode and a cover version from The Voice are in the Top 10 singles there; keep an eye on "Come Join the Murder" by SOA house band The White Buffalo & the Forest Rangers, which accompanied the wrenching final scene of the series finale. It's now at #25. Try not to kill anybody after listening. (12/10a)