Popular American rapper and singer Lil Nas X has released his new album, “Montero.” The album contains 15 songs, adding up to a total of 41 minutes long. The album contains lots of features from other popular artists, like Doja Cat, Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion and Miley Cyrus.
Starting off the album is “Call Me By Your Name,” which was released before the rest of the album. The song itself is very upbeat, but the music video turned out to be very controversial. Many people thought the video was satanic, since it depicts hell and the devil. Lil Nas X retaliated by saying that these people were only upset because they don’t agree with queer people, which was also shown in the video.
Lil Nas X is different than most rappers because he is a gay man, which a lot of people don’t like. He is very underappreciated because of that, since he loses fans who don’t agree with who he is.
Explicit homosexuality is a big subject in his music videos, which causes a lot of controversy. He is proud of being gay and wants to make it normalized in media and music. As a popular creator, Lil Nas X is very influential and his videos make younger fans realise how being gay is not a bad thing.
The first song is followed by “Dead Right Now,” which is a very catchy song with a good beat. The beginning of the song has a nice fanfare-like opening, which continues throughout the whole song. The chorus isn’t exactly upbeat, but it has a very attention-grabbing sound.
After that, the song “Industry Baby” is up next. It also has a fanfare-like sound in the beginning, but the song overall is much more upbeat than the last. The whole song is very catchy and Jack Harlow, who features on the song, has a very good verse. It was also released before the rest of the album, and is currently his most popular song on Spotify.
His second most popular song comes right after, which is “That’s What I Want.” The beat is fairly fast and it sounds like a happy song. However, the lyrics make a listener feel lonesome, since the lyrics are about being alone and wanting love.
Next is not really a song but more of an intermission. Titled “The Art of Realization,” it is a 24-second break in the album with no music. Lil Nas X is talking about how he isn’t sure who he is doing this for, and if he is making himself happy.
Following the short break is “Scoop,” which has a feature from Doja Cat. Making a song with her was a good idea, as it would help popularize the song. Subjectively, it is not the best song and it is a bit repetitive. Doja Cat is a very hit-or-miss artist, which can make it hard to appreciate her in music. This song isn’t her best and their sound together doesn’t mix very well. Her voice doesn’t entirely fit the song, but it could definitely be less tolerable.
In the next song, “One of Me,” Elton John features. The beginning is slower than most of the other songs so far, but it’s catchy. John doesn’t have a verse, but he features in the piano in the background. The piano adds a really nice element to the regular pop music sound. The song is a bit repetitive but the beat is a pretty redeeming factor, as well as the piano. This is definitely one of the better ones from the album.
The next song, “Lost In the Citadel,” has no feature. Right from the beginning the beat and lyrics seem to be upbeat but not too loud. It’s a quieter song and is somewhat boring. It’s a pretty average song, not too good or too bad. It isn’t as energetic as the other songs, but compared to later songs it is still fast.
After that, “Dolla Sign Slime” plays, which features Megan Thee Stallion. It isn’t necessarily bad, but there’s not much substance to it. The lyrics are repetitive, and Megan’s verse isn’t too interesting. It is a very typical sound for the two, which makes it pretty average.
Up next is “Tales of Dominica” which starts out as a little quiet. It’s not slow, but the lyrics just sound slower compared to the beat. The lyrics in the beginning are very cringeworthy, but the beat helps it sound less bad. After the first 40 seconds or so, it starts to get better, but the song is so short that there is not much time for the song to redeem itself. The orchestral instrumentals at the end are a very nice touch, and overall the song has a nice beat. The lyrics, however, really bring down the song.
Another solo song, “Sun Goes Down,” comes on next. The beat feels very light and almost bouncy, which was good to hear. This song is one of the better ones on the album, especially because it has a good beat and good lyrics and not just one or the other. The beat is also a good contrast to the lyrics, which are talking about insecurities. It can be sad but the beat makes it feel a bit less sad and more inspirational in a way. The song is definitely one of the better ones on the album.
The song “Void” is up next, with a very interesting opening. It doesn’t sound like a typical Lil Nas X song, it sounds very simple but it adds a nice touch to the album overall. It’s also a slower song, but it’s not hard to listen to. The lyrics are mediocre, making the beat stand out more than the other songs. It also has a little bit of a build up halfway through and starts to sound like a happier song, which was really cool to hear. It becomes a song with more than one sound in the background.
With a quick switch in sound, “Don’t Want It” is after. It is much more upbeat and energetic than the last two songs, almost making the last two songs a sort of break time in the album. Around halfway through the song, there are clips of Lil Nas X winning awards, which doesn’t match the feel of the whole song. Overall the song isn’t bad, but there is nothing that is very attention grabbing.
Starting off with a darker sound is “Life After Salem.” The lyrics and beat are slower, and the lyrics match the sullen tone of the background music. It is a very good song, but the mood of the slow beat has a dark, almost depressing feel. After the first minute of the song, more guitar is introduced in the background, which makes the chorus sound really cool. This is one of the better songs and there is a good contrast of the sounds of all the songs on the album overall.
The last song, “Am I Dreaming” has a feature from Miley Cyrus. Her part in the song is really hard to listen to. Her voice doesn’t match the rest of the song or album in general. In addition to that, her voice quickly becomes very annoying. Compared to the rest of the album, it is for sure one of the least appealing songs. Aside from her part in the song, it has a nice slow feel with a very simple guitar in the background which is very nice to hear. It never gets too loud or fast, and the sound of the song is a good song to finish off the album.
As a whole, “Montero” is a pretty average album. Some songs are better than others, like “Sun Goes Down,” “Life After Salem,” and “Industry Baby.” The album has a fairly good range of sounds in terms of tempo and mood. Lil Nas X definitely made a big impact with the album and he deserves all the praise that he is getting. However, the songs aren’t overly attention grabbing. Some of the features were not great, but overall the album was a success.