Damien Leith’s Number One Debut Silences Critics

by lkatulka on August 28th, 2007

Image details: 2007 ARIA Awards - Awards Room served by picapp.com

A few weeks ago I reported that savage music critics had already dubbed Damien Leith “Idol Roadkill,” following less than impressive single sales. However, as predicted, Damien’s now having the last laugh. His new album Where We Land has debuted at number one.

This makes Damien the only Idol winner in history to score two consecutive number one albums. His Idol retrospective, The Winner’s Journey also raced to the top of the charts.

Where We Land is Damien’s first album of original material, and it comes some nine months after he won the Idol crown. Look out for my review of this album at Oz Music Scene later this week.

Damien’s not the only local talent selling plenty of albums this week. The John Butler Trio, Katie Noonan, and Powderfinger are all still in the top 10. Grand National sits at number seven, just ahead of Skin and Dream Days at the Hotel Existence at nine and ten.

Damien’s pushed Fergie’s The Duchess from the number one spot, but she’s still queen of the singles charts with Big Girls Don’t Cry.

Ricki-Lee is the only Aussie in the top 10 singles charts. Her dancefloor anthem “Can’t Touch It” has slipped to number five, after a couple of weeks at number two.

Tags: ARIA, Australian-Idol, Big-Girls-Dont-Cry, Cant-Touch-It, Damien-Leith, Dream-Days-at-the-Hotel-Existence, Fergie, Grand-National, John-Butler-Trio, Katie-Noonan, Powderfinger, Ricki-Lee, Skin, The-Duchess, The-Winners-Journey, Where-We-Land

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Dawn McArthur
Aug 30, 2007 at 12:58 am

Isn’t it fortunate that there are many Australians who recognise sheer musical magic….not only during the Idol series but thereafter. The original pieces, mistakenly dubbed love songs and non-personal by some critics, are a wonderful mix of elation, for the birth of a child to empathy for a friend’s tragic loss, are a true testament to the awesome musical and lyrical talent of this truly wonderful ’singer/songwriter’ Damien Leith. Thank heavens for ‘Where We Land’!
lkatulka
Aug 30, 2007 at 1:22 am

Absolutely! I was pleasantly surprised by the album … we’ve been hearing so many ballads from Damien lately but there’s so much more diversity than that.

You’ve got to wonder how critics could think songs about family and friends are impersonal! I think honestly there’s a lot of prejudice in the industry against Idol artists - it’s really cool to bash these people who made their mark via reality TV. Rest assured, you’ll never find any of that bias around here! Thanks for stopping by Dawn :-)
The Braff
Aug 30, 2007 at 7:45 am

I couldn’t agree with Dawn more. This is a brilliant album that I keep putting on repeat. I love hearing it. I am looking forward to the concerts. If they are half as good as ‘The Winners Journey’ concerts earlier in the year then they are going to be amazing. Hearing these tracks performed live will be music to my ears. Damien is one of the best live performers around. Each time I play ‘Where We Land’ I have a new favourite track. Each and every song is magnificent.
Lauren
Aug 30, 2007 at 6:42 pm

Glad to hear you’re enjoying the album too. I think you really are in for a real treat with this tour as well. Watching him on Idol last night was just magical - if he can deliver every song as well it’s really going to be something special. I also love that he’s making the effort to get to the regional centres as well.