Post Malone's 'F-1 Trillion' a Love Letter to Country Music

by Tyler Glover

Photo: Republic/Mercury Records

For years, the music industry has been known for wanting artists to put out albums that are almost carbon copies of their previous works. These works, of course, were massive commercial successes and sometimes even critically acclaimed. These companies wanted a return on their investments, and why not continue with what has proven to sell?  
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Lately, artists are starting to evolve in their crafts and not feel tied down creatively to continue exactly what they were doing. It surprises fans, and it has been great from my perspective.

Beyonce released her first country-influenced album in February, Cowboy Carter. The R&B superstar that gave us massive hits such as “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” decided to put out an album taking her back to her country roots. Beyonce is originally from Houston. The result was a creative, powerful, beautiful country album that should easily be nominated for the next Grammy Awards. It has a considerable chance of finally getting Beyonce the top honor that has evaded her for so long, even though she has won more Grammys than anyone. My favorite song from the Cowboy Carter album was “Levii’s Jeans,” featuring Post Malone. At the time, I had no idea Post Malone was planning his own foray into the country music genre but I was full of anticipation for its release date.

Post Malone’s seventh studio album, F-1 Trillion, was released on August 16th and was 100 percent worth the anticipation.

It took me several days to get through this album but for the best reasons. The album's first eleven tracks are so catchy and sound like they could all be hit singles on country radio. I found myself replaying these songs on repeat because of how great they were. Post Malone has assembled a team of writers who know what a country music song needs to please country music fans. The rest of the album is just as fantastic, though. The original album had 18 songs, but on release day, Malone surprised his fans with nine more songs, bringing the total to 27 new songs.  
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F-1 Trillion is a love letter to country music that makes us all swoon.

Post Malone has assembled some of the best artists in country music to collaborate with on this album. Fifteen songs are collaborations, leaving 12 as songs with just Malone as the artist. These artists include Tim McGraw, Hank Williams Jr., Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, ERNEST, Sierra Ferrell, Chris Stapleton, HARDY and Billy Strings.

The songs cover a wide variety of topics. There are songs about drinking (“Pour Me A Drink”), wanting the fine things in life (“Finer Things),” finding beauty in struggles (“Nosedive”), embracing being different from the status quo (“Losers”), not wanting to break someone’s heart (“Have The Heart”), and a sweet song about giving your daughter away that is sure to be played at many upcoming weddings (“Yours”). Of course, the album mostly touches on love, how amazing it can be, and how it can wreck us for the rest of our lives.

What is really interesting is that while most of the album sounds like contemporary country, the song “Missin’ You Like This” begins, and you feel like it is a 1980s or early 1990s country song that you, for some reason, didn’t hear when it was first released. I love this song, and it takes you back.

It isn't easy to pick favorites from this album because this is a no-skip album. However, my favorite songs are “Killed A Man,” “Nosedive,” “Guy for That,” “What Don’t Belong to Me,” “Goes Without Saying” and “Wrong Ones.”

“Killed A Man” was the most surprising song on the album. You think it will be a saloon fight kind of thing, but it ends up being a look at ourselves and how we try to evolve to become better people by “killing” our old selves. It is such a therapeutic song and probably my favorite on the album. As a girl dad, the song “Yours” definitely tugged at my heartstrings as a dad reminds his daughter’s future husband that he was there first. I could see this playing as a father-daughter dance at both of my daughters’ weddings.

“What Don’t Belong To Me” breaks your heart a little because Malone sings that he can give this woman everything but cannot give her his heart because it has slowly been given to other things throughout his life, and he has nothing left to give.

The entire album surprised me and made me a Post Malone fan. I am excited to hear all of his previous albums that are more pop and alternative rock now. This album should be a contender at the Grammys in some country categories and the general field.