Vinyl sales help Jack White score US number 1 with Boarding House Reach

Jack White has scored a number one in the US with his new album Boarding House Reach, thanks in large part to an impressive number of physical sales.

According to Nielsen data, the former White Stripes frontman shifted 27,000 vinyl copies and received 4.2m streams of his third solo album, released on 23 March.

The New York Times noted how controversial rapper XXXTentacion reached the top of the Billboard album chart the previous week, with 159m streams but just 20,000 album sales.

"The numbers reflect a split that has been taking hold in music over the last year or two, in which young hip hop acts reach the top largely from streaming, while older rock and country stars rely more on CDs and vinyl," it said.

In the UK, White's album is currently at number five in the album charts, while George Ezra debuted at number one with his new album Staying at Tamara's.

Albums critic Andy Gill wrote for The Independent: "[Boarding House Reach] is an entertaining, multifaceted set... a clutter of synths, a gypsy fiddle, a Dvorak melody, a comedy announcement - that gives Boarding House Reach a rather fragmentary character. Which, I suppose, reflects Jack White's own at the moment."