Eric Church’s ‘Chief’ Is Poised to Go Number One

Congratulations are in order for Eric Church, who should have a number one album to his credit by this time next week.

Projections for Church’s new release, ‘Chief,’ put it anywhere between 120,000 and 130,000 copies sold — easily outpacing its closest competition, Kelly Rowland’s ‘Here I Am.’

Those first-week numbers will go a long way toward building on the success of his last album, 2009′s ‘Carolina,’ which earned an RIAA gold certification for 500,000 copies sold and spun off three top 20 singles.

The lead single from ‘Chief,’ titled ‘Homeboy,’ has also climbed into the top 20 — and earned a gold certification of its own.

Church, obviously, couldn’t be happier with the album. He told Taste of Country during their recent chat, “This one, I’m happy top to bottom. I think it’s a living thing. It feels alive to me. I love records that aren’t perfect. I think imperfection is what harvests that creativity and gives it a heartbeat. For me, that’s the kind of music that I like.”

[Taste of Country]