English singer-songwriter Paul Heaton has achieved his first solo UK number one album with his latest release, Jenius. This milestone marks his sixth chart-topping record overall, following three successes with The Beautiful South and two collaborative projects with former bandmate Jacqui Abbott. Heaton, who gained prominence in the 1980s with the Hull-based band The Housemartins alongside Norman Cook, secured the top spot this Friday, bolstered by strong vinyl sales throughout the week.
In a four-star review, The Times described the Ian Broudie-produced album as “casually funny” and “deceptively piercing.” Critic Victoria Segal noted that the record confirms Heaton’s talent for “dissecting human weakness with an unsentimental but humane eye,” featuring stylistically playful tracks like One Eye Open and Favourite Kind of Idiot that blend personal and political themes.
Celebrating the achievement, Heaton revealed plans to fund bar tabs at dozens of pubs to mark his 65th birthday next year, echoing a similar gesture he made in 2022 when he opened £1,000 tabs at 60 locations.
The music world also saw a significant surge in interest for the late Dolly Parton, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 80. Her enduring influence is reflected in the latest UK charts, where she has three singles in the top 40. The iconic track 9 to 5, which originally peaked at number 47 in 1981, has reached number 12 this week. Additionally, her classic song Jolene re-entered the chart at number nine, while her 1983 duet with Kenny Rogers, Islands in the Stream, returned at number 13.
Parton’s 2022 greatest hits collection, Diamonds & Rhinestones, also reached the top 10 of the albums chart for the first time. The song 9 to 5, written for the 1980 film of the same name, previously reached number seven in 1976, marking one of her highest UK chart placements.
Becca Monahan and Chris Austin, co-managing directors of the Official Charts Company, described the chart activity as a “powerful reflection of the UK’s enduring love for her music.” They added that the returns serve as a fitting celebration of her life, career, and lasting impact as an icon whose songs have crossed generations.
Elsewhere in the charts, Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s track Rein Me In extended its record as the longest-running number one single in UK chart history. Meanwhile, Brandon Flowers followed Heaton in the album rankings, landing at number three with his new release, Thrasher, marking a shift from his work with The Killers toward a country-influenced sound.
Tributes have continued to pour in for the Tennessee star throughout the week, with figures like Miley Cyrus honoring her godmother, whom she described as an “angel by my side.” The report also notes that in part, by shifting more vinyl copies than any other album over the past seven days, the former Housemartins musician reached the top on Friday. The report also notes that whose best-loved tunes were also played across the nation, evidently, waves of tributes poured in this week to Tennessee star Parton.
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