At 37 tracks, Morgan Wallen's new album I'm The Problem feels a little bloated for the non-diehards. C&I's Hunter Hauk offers up a playlist of 13 songs for any Wallen novice to kick off a deep dive.
Country music's biggest thing going right now, Morgan Wallen, just dropped I'm The Problem, his 4th studio album. If you don't have time to take in all 37 tracks, I've got your back. And no, I won't be telling you about every song. Because they aren't all noteworthy. Wallen's strategy on releases seems to be quantity-focused. And it makes sense. His audience is the streaming crowd. They take in music much differently than generations before them. When they love an artist, that artist becomes musical wallpaper in their lives. The more the better.
I totally get it. But I also value craft, attention to detail, and lyrical diversity and depth. Wallen is an artist -- he's proven on past records and on this one that he can pull off that trio of qualities. But there are 37 songs on I'm The Problem. Many blur together after several listens, but some stand out. Hit play below and read on for some notes.
NOTES ON SONG SELECTIONS
• Morgan, the romantic! 'Falling Apart' will worm its way into your brain quickly with its melody. Later on, he gets more awesomely mushy on 'Smile'
• He's a road warrior, but he's got home and family on the heart. You'll love the symbols and shared vices, from a can of 'Skoal' shared with his uncle to the Stapleton-esque 'Working Man's Song.'
• He and Post Malone are back at it on the pop-tinged kiss-off 'I Ain't Comin' Back.' Eric Church joins him brilliantly on 'Number 3 and Number 7' Don't bother with the Tate McRae duet -- it's a mismatched waste of effort.
• Down-home hookups are represented accurately in the story song "20 Cigarettes" that follows a one-nighter using one shared pack of cigs. He then demos his wooing techniques in 'If You Were Mine.' The flipside? The lonely misery of 'Dark Til Daylight.'
• Morgan is at his best when he's honest with himself. He returns to the addiction vs. love themes in 'Drinking Til It Does,' and then closes the album with perhaps his most self-reflective song yet. "I'm A Little Crazy" ends the marathon by returning to self-realization and acceptance.
That's A Good Start ...
Now, it's up to you whether you want to explore the oft repetitive themes of redneck pride, guns, God, and small-town glory that have made this man so popular in the first place. But we're thinking about the music here, and we repeat: THIS ALBUM IS TOO DAMN LONG. And with that, we gotta make like Morgan at SNL and go!
Bye!
New Country And Americana Release Calendar
We have a new country and Americana release page that updates weekly with the latest albums and singles hitting the airwaves and the Internet. Find C&I's New Country And Americana Releases calendar here.
