Ben Howard Leads Midweek U.K. Chart With ‘Collections From The Whiteout’

[Taylor Swift]

Ben Howard is on track to snag his second U.K. No. 1 with Collections From The Whiteout (Island).

The English singer and songwriter’s fourth studio album leads the Official Chart Update and is outperforming its two closest rivals combined, the OCC reports.

Howard burst out the gate a decade ago, winning BRIT Awards for best new artist and best British male artist in 2013, and topping the Official U.K. Album Chart the following year with I Forget Where We Were. His debut album, 2011’s Every Kingdom, and his third album, 2018’s Noonday Dream, both peaked at No. 4.

ARTISTS MENTIONED

Ben Howard

Dua Lipa

Evanescence

Iron Maiden

Joe Strummer

Lil Nas X

Neil Young

One year after it dropped, Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (Warner Records) is chasing a 33rd week in the Top 10. It’s at No. 2 on the midweek chart.

Nathan Evans’ ‘Wellerman’ Cruising to Third Week Atop U.K. Chart

Meanwhile, U.S. emo favorites Evanescence could score their highest-charting album in 10 years with The Bitter Truth (RCA). It’s at No. 3 on the chart blast, and is the most-downloaded album in the first half of the week.

The tandem of Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith and The Winery Dogs’ Richie Kotzen could yield a Top 5 album, as Smith/Kotzen’s self-titled BMG debut opens at No. 5.

Also eyeing Top 10 debuts are the instrumental collection Promises (No. 6 via Luaka Bop); Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow latest solo effort Stargazer (No. 7 via BMG); a retrospective collection of The Clash frontman Joe Strummer’s hits, Assembly (at No. 8 via BMG); and the Neil Young live album Young Shakespeare (No. 9 via Reprise).

Lana Del Rey Earns Fifth U.K. No. 1 With ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’

Over in the U.K. Singles Chart race, Nathan Evans’ sea shanty “Wellerman” (Polydor) continues to set the pace. It’s the leader on the Official U.K. Singles Chart Update, while Lil Nas X has the highest-charting new track with the controversial release “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” (Lil Nas X).

The Official U.K. Singles and Albums Charts are published late Friday, local time.