Florence + The Machine and Kendrick Lamar battle for UK Number One album

Florence + The Machine and Kendrick Lamar are battling it out for this week’s Number One album in the UK.

Florence Welch’s band’s fifth studio album ‘Dance Fever’ is currently ahead of Lamar’s ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’ after clocking up over 26,000 chart sales so far in the midweek album chart, according to the Official Charts Company.

The Black Keys are not far behind at Number Three with their new LP with ‘Dropout Boogie’ and Bear’s Den are currently at Number Four with ‘Blue Hours’.

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If Florence + The Machine do go to Number One it’ll be their fourth chart topper after 2009 debut ‘Lungs’ follow up ‘Ceremonials’ and 2015’s ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’.

Reviewing the record, NME awarded it four stars and described it as “the triumphant sound of a singer reborn”.

United Kingdom representative Sam Ryder performs on stage at the Eurovision party “Welcome Party” at Sala La Riviera on April 16, 2022 in Madrid, Spain CREDIT: Aldara Zarraoa/WireImage)

If Lamar scores this week’s Number One album, it will be his first since 2015’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’. His current record ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’ his first in five years, was awarded a whopping five stars by NME and was described as a “cathartic, soul-bearing autobiography”.

Welch also received a writing credit on the record for the song ‘We Cry Together’ for its use of a Florence + The Machine sample.

Elsewhere, in the UK singles chart, Sam Ryder has climbed up to Number Three following his success in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. He is now on course to challenge for the Number One spot.

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If his track ‘Space Man’ claims the top spot, it will be the first UK Eurovision Number One in the official singles chart in 26 years.

Reviewing last weekend’s Eurovision night, NME wrote: “Eurovision 2022 was all about looking forward: Sam Ryder reminding us that the UK can actually win this thing, and Ukraine showing the world just how much agency it has. Yes, the contest can be silly – hello, ‘Give That Wolf A Banana’ – but it’s also strangely and fundamentally profound.”