Earworm

Published on 19/08/2024.

I’ve enjoyed a bit of Post Malone ever since I first heard his records just prior to the release of Beerbongs and Bentleys in 2018. To find out, however, that the Congratulations and Rockstar singer was genuinely considering trading in the California sunshine for blue jeans and cowboy boots for his new album was an intriguing concept – especially given how other big stars like Beyoncé had seemed to find the transition to country music rockier than a Blue Ridge Mountain hiking trail. Could Post Malone excel post-hip hop and create something worthy of the Nashville scene where the album was recorded? Last Friday (the 16^th), we were finally able to answer that question.

Post’s debut country album, F-1 Trillion is a mammoth exploration of the genre, featuring 18 songs of just shy of an hour’s worth of music on the standard album and almost an half and a half on the F-1 Trillion: Long Bed extended edition. It also contains 14 guest vocalists across 15 tracks, including stars like Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, and Hank Williams Jr. There was a lot of anticipation for the album’s release after lead single I Had Some Help (featuring Morgan Wallen) shot to the top of the Billboard 100, followed by successes with Pour Me a Drink (featuring Blake Shelton) and Guy for That (featuring Luke Combs).

Overall, F-1 Trillion is a cracking listen. Yes, I think the musicality on some of the later songs on the album feels a little derivative and repetitive of the genre, but that is not to say that F-1 Trillion is some generic throw-away album by a bored artist with nothing better to do. You can hear Post’s passion behind the project from the first song, and his effort to infuse his own style into the music whilst paying homage to the country genre makes him a steady pair of hands behind the wheel of the pickup truck. I would give F-1 Trillion a solid 7/10.

Top Listens

I Had Some Help

Give it a listen and you will soon tell why the record label chose to promote this as the first single. With its pop-country flair, evocative imagery, and the gravelly-yet-smooth tones of Morgan Wallen belting out of your speakers, I can see this one sticking around in the charts for some time.

Have the Heart

‘Wanna hear something sexy?’ sings the Queen of Country in this charming and coquettish duet. Give this one a go and that is what you will get. Have the Heart is a charming instant classic that I have not stopped humming since I first heard it, and I expect you will love it too! The lyrics are creative, fun, and perfectly capture the excited mischief of a casual relationship.

Devil I’ve Been

The angel and demon motif may be nothing original per se, but the lyrics are well crafted, there are good vocal performances both from Post and Ernest, and the upbeat melody is sure to have you having a bit of a boogie at your next party. If I have any complaint, it is perhaps that the accompanying video is a touch boring, but I doubt it is anything about which most listeners will care.

M-E-X-I-C-O

One of the faster tracks from F-1 Trillion, this hoe down-esque bluegrass ditty about failures in love will make you want to slap your knees and holler ‘I guess it’s M-E-X-I-C-O for me’ in no time. Let us hope, however, that there will be no actual jail time for Post Malone from being framed by a Mexican-cartel girlfriend any time soon!

Written by Lewis Brown.