By Julia Duggan
Staff Writer
Lil Nas X released his first album, “MONTERO,” on Sept. 17, and it does not disappoint. The singer continues to show his talent by continuing to release music that is impossible to not fall in love with. The album has a mix of upbeat and ballad songs that are paired perfectly together.
The album is balanced nicely with Lil Nas X shifting effortlessly between singing and rapping. Lil Nas X also brought in collaborators from a variety of backgrounds — Elton John, Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion and Miley Cyrus are all featured on this album. For Lil Nas X to be collaborating with these stars just proves how versatile and creative he is with his music. While to some the shifting between genres might be slightly jarring, the overall structure of the album flows nicely between the different themes presented.
Starting off the album is the song ‘MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),’ which sets the tone of the album beautifully. The track was originally released last March as a teaser for the album along with the artwork, and it quickly grew in popularity.
This album has been hinted at and had slight reveals throughout the year. Back in March, the title track and the art for the album was released. The title track quickly rose to the Billboard top 100 list, and there was heightened anticipation as to when the rest of the album would be released.
The song that follows the title track is ‘DEAD RIGHT NOW’ and, while it has a similar upbeat style to ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ the song holds a different tone. It’s about how Lil Nas X is struggling to react to family members who did not respect him even though he just wanted to keep the peace. While this juxtaposes the title track, the song humanizes Lil Nas X and shows that, no matter how famous someone can become, we all have issues with family and just being treated fairly.
Jumping down farther in the album, the fourth track on the album sounds like a pop song and brings representation to gay love, which should be more prevalent in popular songs. ‘THATS WHAT I WANT’ is about Lil Nas X just wanting a partner to be with him. While the song is cute and short, it paints a picture of the speaker in the song wanting the search for a partner to be over. The catchy beat accompanying the lyrics enhances the singer’s desperation to find a partner.
‘ONE OF ME’ is a collaboration with Elton John. The song yet again features gay love, as well as a lot of piano. While it’s hard to discern if Elton John is singing along with Lil Nas X, it’s impossible to miss him playing the piano in the song. One of the themes of this album apprecietes gay love, and songs like this are much-needed in both the world and the music industry.
It’s hard to consider this song a ballad because, while there is a slow and suggestive nature to it, it features a strong backbeat with drums that suggests it is closer to an upbeat pop song. Having such a complex but elegant song just further proves the creativity that Lil Nas X has for blending genres and styles in his music.
Near the end of the album is the track 'DONT WANT IT,’ which is about Lil Nas X rising to where he is today. Here he talks about how he struggled and how he apologizes for anything bad he ever did to anyone before he became famous, as well as how he’s getting used to being known. The song features audio clips from news anchors announcing how “Call Me By Your Name” tops the Billboard 100 list. He also sings about how, even though his life might be different, everything will still be alright in the end.
There is not enough room to dissect each hidden gem Lil Nas X has hidden in each of his songs on his first full-length album “Montero.” It is full of ballads, pop, rap and lots of in between. Everyone just has to experience listening to the album for themselves to appreciate the beauty and talent of Lil Nas X.
There is not a bad song on this album.
Each has the power to become as popular as, or even surpass, “Old Town Road” to carry the album.
I highly recommend this album for people who love rap and for people who don’t — there will be at least one song anyone could fall in love with. No matter what genre you prefer, this album should definitely be added to your must-stream list.
