It’s never been cooler to be country. But Post Malone isn’t here just to ride the trend, even though it’s a particularly lucrative time to break into this corner of the music industry. In fact, the genre’s leap forward has been planned for nearly a decade. “I’ll be a country/folk singer when I’m 30,” the then-rapper tweeted in 2015. At the age of 29, he released his debut country album “F-”. 1 Trillion is officially available, and Post Malone found out a year ahead of schedule.
It’s no secret that Malone was eagerly drawn into Nashville’s idiosyncratic creative scene once F-1 Trillion officially began to take shape. In recent months, he has spoken aloud about the days when he would sit in the writer’s room of a nondescript house dotting 16th and 17th Streets, where his best songs tended to take shape. be. There are rules to the way the country music business is done, some of which are spoken and some of which are never mentioned. Malone wanted to learn them all.
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A quick listen to F-1 Trillion gives the impression that Malone truly loves country music. He was a candy store kid, with features on 15 of the LP’s 18 tracks and an impressive cast of guests. (On the morning of its release, F-1 Trillion — Long Bed arrived with nine more songs exclusively from Posty, a release pattern not dissimilar to the development of Taylor Swift’s tortured poet division. At least I was hoping it wouldn’t become a trend.)
Post Malone’s songwriting credits are listed here for all songs. A significant amount of co-writing and production is courtesy of Charlie Handsome, a prolific hip-hop figure who has been working with Malone since 2015. Malone said the inner circle that pushed Morgan Wallen to the top of the charts includes Music Row staples Ashley Gorey and Ernest. It’s hard to admit, but “I Had Some Help,” featuring Warren’s divisive presence, is…a lot of fun. It’s catchy, effortless, and infectious, and the steel guitar is the perfect accent.
But the album’s best moments actually come from its more outlandish sounds and away from the mainstream, especially Sierra, an excellent genre-blending singer-songwriter whose presence feels mysterious. This is a duet with Ferrell. Their collaboration, “Never Love You Again,” is a nostalgic song perfect for the Opry stage (where Malone performed for the first time earlier this week). “Never Love You Again” has a George Jones/Tammy Wynette vibe to it, where their voices come together on the right track and some unidentified magic happens.
In fact, most of the collaborations are solid. Unsurprisingly, Dolly Parton is crushing it with “Have the Heart.” It’s always fun to see her let loose, like she does in the bridge of the song. And she may still have some spirit left in her rock career in 2023. It was brought into the booth. It’s scientifically impossible for Chris Stapleton to deliver a bad vocal performance, and even without the life-changing lyrics, “California Sober” is a welcome addition. There is. We hope that more listeners will discover the wonders of Billy Strings, who brings his out-of-this-world talent to “MEXICO.”
