Post Malone – F-1 Trillion

Austin Post, AKA Post Malone, is a rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist who has performed in a variety of genres, including hip hop, pop, R&B, trap, rock, and now, with his new album, F-1 Trillion, country.

F-1 Trillion features a bunch of guest appearances, including 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. There are three solo songs, too. There is a deluxe edition (Long Bed) with nine more solo songs.

Post’s take on country is conventional contemporary pop country. Post takes country seriously, but the dominant vibe is fun – he clearly loves country music. It is not a stretch for Post to “go country,” as he has been evolving in this direction for a while. Post has occasionally performed country covers in concert, so it is not a surprise that he has released a country album and plans to promote it with a country-focused tour this fall. California rapper Lil B wrote on Twitter in October 2017 (when Post was considered a hip-hop artist): “Post Malone is slowly turning into a white dude! Lol he’s pushing it, give it a few years he gonna be full country and hate blacks lol“, with Malone replying in an interview, claiming that his white skin has been “used against him“. Well, country Post has fully arrived.

Post has a pleasant voice, although it is a bit thin and electronically enhanced (this is true for his pop material too – electronically enhanced vocals are common in contemporary pop country). His voice is not particularly country, but the arrangements and lyrical themes are country. His voice mixes well with his collaborators – a little too much – at times it is difficult to differentiate Post from his collaborators. In general, I found that I preferred the Post solo tracks as I was less distracted by identifying the collaborator. I assume this will diminish as I get more familiar with the album. Ultimately, his vocals work in this country context.

Post wrote the songs with a gaggle of co-writers (as is the Nashville way these days). They are catchy toe-tappers. Post and his writing and production team (many seasoned pros in the country genre) have mastered contemporary pop country.

Post’s country album works because of his devotion to the genre. He is clearly a country music fan. F-1 Trillion is neither a novelty nor a vanity project but a labor of love. It is a fun detour in his career. Post is always the king of good vibes – a modern-day Jimmy Buffett. On F-1 Trillion Post continues the good vibes.

Main Album Track list:

“Wrong Ones” feat. Tim McGraw
“Finer Things” feat. Hank Williams Jr.
“I Had Some Help” feat. Morgan Wallen
“Pour Me A Drink” feat. Blake Shelton
“Have The Heart” feat. Dolly Parton
“What Don’t Belong To Me” (solo)
“Goes Without Saying” feat. Brad Paisley
“Guy For That” feat. Luke Combs
“Nosedive” feat. Lainey Wilson
“Losers” feat. Jelly Roll
“Devil I’ve Been” feat. ERNEST
“Never Love You Again” feat. Sierra Ferrell
“Missin’ You Like This” feat. Luke Combs
“California Sober” feat. Chris Stapleton
“Hide My Gun” feat. HARDY
“Right About You” (solo)
“M-E-X-I-C-O” feat. Billy Strings
“Yours” (solo)

Deluxe edition (AKA F-1 Trillion: Long Bed) additional tracks:

“Fallin’ In Love”
“Dead At The Honky Tonk”
“Killed A Man”
“Ain’t How It Ends”
“Hey Mercedes”
“Go To Hell”
“Two Hearts”
“Who Needs You”
“Back To Texas”