Country is king. The genre is soaring, with a slew of big names – Beyonce, Lana Del Rey – working on country, or country-adjacent projects. In the UK, the streaming stats for country make for eye-watering reading, while London festival strand BST Hyde Park dedicated an entire day – on July 4th, natch – to the sounds of Americana. Post Malone’s venture into the genre, then, is aptly timed – in terms of commercial nous, it’s a smart move. It’s also been coming for a fair while now, with 2023 album ‘Austin’ being littered with acoustic guitars and Americana aspects.
The fulfilment of a long-held dream, ‘F-1 Trillion’ is both a labour of love and well, labouring. A colossal 18-tracks, it features more big names than you could shake a stick at. From Nashville to the world, ‘F-1 Trillion’ is a fusion of old and new, melting together dozens of voices in the process.
The highs are of Alpine stature. A duet with Dolly Parton is surely a lifelong dream fulfilled, and their song ‘Have The Heart’ rings with her classic flair. Luke Combs makes two appearances, while Blake Shelton’s rowdy rocker ‘Pour Me A Drink’ is tailormade for honky tonk use.
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Hailing from upstate New York – and a millionaire rapper, to boot – Post Malone isn’t a natural fit for the cowboy silhouette, but conversely the album is at its strongest when he aligns himself with country rebels and outliers. Take the Hank Williams Jr aided ‘Finer Things’ or the downcast ‘Losers’, bolstered by Jelly Roll. Post Malone isn’t trying to make a ‘country album’ per se – it’s his vision of country, filtered through endless hours tuning in to the airwaves, and building his own tapestry.
At times struggling beneath its own weight, ‘F-1 Trillion’ is a love letter to the genre. A decade on from debut album ‘Stoney’ it acts as testimony to his continued creativity, and also his commercial appeal. It’s doubtful if Nashville purists will accept his brand of hard liquor, but ‘F-1 Trillion’ sits in a tradition of crossover moments – from Gram Parsons to Lil Nas X, some of the most effective moments in American music have been country adjacent, speaking its own truth within a lineage. Destined for colossal success, this is an album whose time has come.
7/10
Words: Robin Murray
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