Paul Heaton scores first number one album as Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 finally reaches top 40

Paul Heaton has achieved his first solo UK number one album with Jenius, marking his sixth chart-topping album overall after successes with The Beautiful South and Jacqui Abbott. The result highlights his enduring popularity, while Dolly Parton’s music has returned strongly to the charts following her death, reflecting the continuing influence of her catalogue in the UK.

Jenius led partly through the week’s highest vinyl sales, while Brandon Flowers’ country-influenced Thrasher entered at number three. Parton’s 9 to 5 reached a new UK peak of number 12, Jolene re-entered at number nine and Islands in the Stream returned at number 13; her 2022 compilation Diamonds & Rhinestones also reached the albums top 10. Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s Rein Me In meanwhile extended its record as the UK’s longest-running number one single.