Lil Nas X’s debut album, MONTERO, was released on September 17th with an extensive lineup behind it. It has 15 songs and features other prominent artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Miley Cyrus, and Doja Cat. This is an impressive feat seeing as this is the first album he’s produced. MONTERO features new songs, along with ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ and his more recent single ‘Industry Baby.’
Lil Nas X is very well known for his ability to get people talking about his music. In his 2017 release, ‘Old Town Road,’ he talks about promoting it everywhere on social media like Twitter and TikTok. This time, he chooses to take a much more obscure advertising approach, referring to his album as “baby Montero.” On his social media, especially his TikTok, he made videos of him appearing to be pregnant. On the day of its release, he made a video of him “giving birth” to the baby, then showcasing the album cover.
The themes in MONTERO perfectly showcase the pieces of Lil Nas X’s experience of recent stardom in the past years, focusing on how successful he was in the music industry yet how unhappy he was in his own personal life. There are 12 new tracks on this album.
‘Dead Right Now,’ the first new track, talks about how people were trying to enter his life, even before fame and his troubled relationship with his mother, through a smooth and catchy chorus with heavy and earnest lyrics.
‘That’s What I Want’ is a more upbeat song featuring guitar and synth-heavy instrumentals with an equally energetic rhythm. It follows how Lil Nas X needs genuine love and companionship yet can’t find it because of how famous he is.
‘Scoop (feat. Doja Cat)’ was honestly more disappointing than what could have happened. There are obvious moments where some verses don’t entirely move as well as they could. Doja Cat’s feature definitely helped with the song itself, and her short verses fit very well with the music.
‘One of Me ft. Elton John’ is a slower song featuring heavy bass and synth and talks about the struggles with the music industry. It’s evident in the lyrics that “if it ain’t Old Town Road,” it isn’t worth it, and he should just make the same music over and over. Throughout the album, it’s self-evident that he wants to try and avoid doing the same monotonous thing and does some pretty experimental stuff with his music.
‘Lost in The Citadel’ brings a story of heartbreak and acceptance with lively instrumentals. It complements the album just right.
‘Dolla Sign Slime ft. Megan Thee Stallion’ has catchy verses from both Lil Nas X and Megan Thee Stallion. Still, I feel it’s one of the more uninspired and weaker songs in the album. It’s more generic than the other songs.
‘Tales of Dominica’ reflects on his fears of facing his own reflection and talks about some of his lower points in his life. I do think that this song isn’t the best, but it isn’t the worst on the album either.
‘Void,’ in my opinion, was pretty good. Lil Nas X tried a new melody and stretched his range once again with beautiful lyrics. While it isn’t usually what Lil Nas X does with his music, it works well for the track.
‘Don’t Want It’ is definitely one of the more underwhelming songs, but it still remains far from mediocre. It shows a contrast in Lil Nas X that his dreams did come true, but at the same time, he smokes himself to sleep and dwells on past mistakes.
‘Life After Salem” is a great transition into the final track, ‘Am I Dreaming? ft. Miley Cyrus.’ where both artists work together to create incredible harmony, the instrumentals turn all the attention to the vocals and make the perfect ending.
Overall, Lil Nas X’s debut album MONTERO receives a 3.5/5 for me. It delivers a lot, but there’s definitely a lot of improvement ever since ‘Old Town Road’ blew up in 2017.
