I’m not a marathon runner, so I’m not sure of long-hauls and the emotions you’d endure. With that said, I can probably say that I can relate to fatigue and exhaustion as I undertook a 36 song tracklist and a clocked out 2 hour listen with Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time. As someone who isn’t a country music listener, or even a Morgan Wallen fan, this was my 5K run on a misty Saturday morning with rocks in my shoes. This fucking sucked. 

After a quick google, it turns out Wallen isn’t this innocent boy singing about a beer in his hand, as controversy struck the kid in 2021 when a video that caught him drunkenly using the N-word to a friend was released. In response to the video, his contract was suspended by his label. He was criticised by fellow artists and multiple radio stations completely stopped playing his music. Why is this important? Wallen leads with a track called “Born With A Beer In My Hand” where he instantly addresses that he “ain’t the devil that I acted like years ago.” Wallen’s production is beyond impressive throughout the album, especially with records like “Sunrise” and “Cowgirls” (feat. ERNEST). Wallen has some solid tracks, a couple of personal favourites include “F150-50” and “Neon Star”.

However, none of this will let me deter from the fact that this album has 36 songs. Now I would understand if it was a best of compilation, or even a live track list from a show that he’s done in the last 12 months, but it isn’t. This is just a personal circle jerk of content. No track actually has anything of major significance to add to the conversation, it’s a joke. 

Perhaps I’m coming off a little bit jaded as I’m not a major country music fan. But I don’t believe that you have to be a fan to be able to listen and enjoy the music. I can get it on to Wagon Wheel as much as the next person, but what I can’t do is sit through a 2 hour diatribe as he tries to evoke some magical pussy to come and sit on his face and ride on until the sunset. Or something of that matter. Country music, to me, feels almost like an endless circle of nothingness struggling to catch on.

Catch me adding any of these tracks to my playlist, nor will I ever be listening to this album on my own accord. If they come on on shuffle for some reason, I probably won’t be jumping to change them as none of them are that shit. I just think that overall it wasn’t my favourite album of the year. I will never take away from the impressiveness that is a 36 track album with numerous collaborations and a fuck load of complaining about a warm beer and not enough diesel in his truck. Good onya Wallen, hope that you find that pussy that you’re looking for.

4/10