Raconteurs land first Billboard No. 1 album

The Raconteurs, led by native Detroiters Jack White and Brendan Benson, have scored their first No. 1 album on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart with "Help Us Stranger," the group's first album in 11 years. 

The set earned 88,000 album equivalent units its first week, 84,000 of which were pure album sales, according to Billboard. Of those, 25,000 were vinyl sales, giving "Help Us Stranger" the best sales week for any vinyl album in 2019. 

The Ranconteurs' previous albums, 2006's "Broken Boy Soldiers" and 2008's "Consolers of the Lonely," both arrived at No. 7 on the chart. 

"Help Us Stranger" outpaced the debut set from "Old Town Road" sensation Lil Nas X, whose "7" debuts at No. 2. Nas congratulated Jack White's Third Man Records for its chart victory on Twitter.   

The Raconteurs perform July 12 and July 13 at the Masonic Temple in Detroit. 

In other Jack White news, White took to social media over the weekend to blast a Spin report that "Help Us Stranger" was delayed because of his heroin use. The Spin story was based on a joke White made during an interview with the Irish Times. 

"I've never done heroin or any other illegal drug in my life and anyone close to me could confirm this," White wrote in the post. He went on to criticize "trash 'music' cough 'journalism' sites" for recent stories about his non-use of cellphones. "Just because I don't own a cellphone in an attempt to lead a healthy life doesn't mean I hate all technology," he wrote. 

agraham@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @grahamorama