Scotty McCreery is back on top. 'See You Tonight' has become his second straight album to debut at No. 1 on the country album charts, selling just over 52,000 copies in its first week in stores and at digital retailers. That's 10Kmore than Willie Nelson, whose 'To All the Girls' ranked second.

Newcomer Chase Rice debuts at a very respectable No. 4 slot, selling 16K copies of his 'Ready Set Roll' EP. Rice isn't signed to a record label, but still outsold many veteran country stars on the strength of significant SiriusXM airplay. Luke Bryan's 'Crash My Party' fell to No. 3 this week (25K), and Cassadee Pope goes from first to fifth, selling just under 16K copies of her debut album 'Frame by Frame.'

McCreery's album places sixth on all-genre sales charts. 'See You Tonight' is the follow-up to the Platinum-selling 'Clear as Day' album from 2011. The North Carolina native had just won 'American Idol' when he released the first album, and his fans showed up in record stores to support him to the tune of 197K copies.

"Still so stoked at the fact that I have the #1 country album in the land right now! Thank y'all so much for making my dream a reality!" McCreery tweeted Thursday afternoon (Oct. 24).

Having a No. 1 song on country radio is another big goal for the 20-year-old. The title track from the new album has reached the Top 30. To date, 'I Love You This Big' has been his most successful radio single.

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