Sara Evans’ Career Continues to Get ‘Stronger’ With Album Debuting at No. 1

Last week, Sara Evans released her highly-anticipated album, 'Stronger.' The album is the first new music from Evans in more than five years. Fans anxiously awaited the release date, and this week their loyalty and love showed.

'Stronger' debuted at the No. 1 position on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, exceeding sales of 55,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album also landed at No. 6 on Billboard's all-genre Top 200 albums chart.

The first single from the album, 'A Little Bit Stronger,' penned by Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey and Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott, continues to climb this week as well, currently at No. 13 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and No. 15 on the Country Aircheck airplay chart. To date, the single has crossed the 500,000 digital download benchmark, earning RIAA Gold Digital Single certification.

Look for a three-page story on Evans in the new issue of PEOPLE, which hits stands later this week.