The singer has now earned three chart-topping LPs over the course of his career.
James Blunt has held off Royal Blood to earn his third U.K. No. 1 LP on the Nov. 13-dated Official Albums Chart with Airplane Mode.
The set is Blunt’s first U.K. No. 1 album since 2007’s All the Lost Souls; he also hit the top spot in 2004 with his bestselling debut LP, Back to Bedlam.
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am to every single person who has gone out there and downloaded, or bought or streamed my album,” Blunt told the Official Charts Company. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!”
Following at No. 2 is Brighton-formed rock duo Royal Blood with its fifth studio album, Dead Company. It’s the pair’s first LP to not hit the No. 1 spot following Royal Blood (2014), How Did We Get So Dark? (2017), Typhoons (2021), Back to the Water Below (2023).
Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love closes the week at No. 3, down one spot. Skepta’s first solo LP in seven years, The Fork and Knife, lands at No. 4, securing the grime legend his fourth consecutive top five finish.
Kings of Leon’s O My Beloved finishes the week at No. 5, continuing a streak that has seen each of the Followill clan’s 10 studio LPs landing inside the top five.
There’s also top 40 debuts this week for Steven Wilson (Requiem for a Village, No. 6), George Michael (The Faith Tour, No. 7), Rex Orange County (Dream Fatigue, No. 18) and Tinie Tempah (The Night’s Not Dead, No. 20).
