2024-08-17 01:40:03
Post Malone has made such a focused charm offensive on Nashville that it’s less a question of who is on his new, full-on country album “F-1 Trillion” than who isn’t: legends like Dolly Parton and Hank Williams Jr., vets like Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton, reigning chart champ Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, virtuosos like Chris Stapleton and Bill Strings, relative newcomers Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, and many others across the album’s sprawling 18 songs — just three of them aren’t duets (except for the nine solo bonus tracks that he surprise-dropped 12 hours after the album’s release).
He’s leaned into the imagery of it all as well, with pickup trucks, beer and American flags in the video for the album’s chart-topping lead single with Morgan Wallen “I Had Some Help” and lyrical references about babes, booze, benders, cars, guns, cigarettes, booze, football, heartbreaks, speeding tickets, booze, cars, booze and more booze.
Post is a Texas native who started as a singer before he became a world-beating rapper, and he’s been leaning in this direction and performing acoustically in recent years. His efforts in Nashville have paid off: His collaborators and many Nashville industry types rave about what a talented, lovely and genuine guy he is.
The bulk of this album was produced by his longtime collaborators Louis Bell (Taylor Swift’s “Fortnite,” Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” Halsey, Kanye West and many others) and Charlie Handsome (Kanye West, Drake, Jack Harlow, Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, Mac Miller and more), with three co-produced by Hoskins (Khalid, Teezo Touchdown, Don Toliver, Alesso); Bell and Handsome each have a writing credit on every song as well. While the producers are primarily from the hip-hop and pop worlds and don’t have deep country bona fides, it’s in the songwriting where Post has gone deep.
In fact, he’s enlisted an army of the city’s most successful songwriters to collaborate. The full credits are listed below, but frequent collaborators — many of whom are also successful artists — include:
Ashley Gorely: Named Variety’s Hitmakers songwriter of the year for 2023 thanks to his multiple credits with Morgan Wallen, he’s also worked extensively with Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Hardy and many others.
Ernest: Another big Wallen collaborator, his credits stretch far beyond Nashville and include Jazmine Sullivan, Zayn and Lil Durk as well as more expected artists like Jelly Roll, Kane Brown and Florida Georgia Line; he’s also a successful artist and is a featured performer on
James McNair: One of Luke Combs’ primary collaborators, his credits also include Wallen, Hardy, Florida Georgia Line, Lady A, Keith Urban and others.
Chandler Walters: A relative newcomer, Walters is an Ernest protégé and played guitar in his band before landing three cuts on Bailey Zimmerman’s hit debut album “Religiously” and four cuts here.
Other Nashville vets with two cuts each are Chase McGill (Wallen, Hardy, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett) and Josh Thompson (Wallen, Rhett, Jason Aldean).
The full songwriting credits appear below; all songs were produced by Bell and Handsome except as noted.
-
1. “Wrong Ones”
Featuring: Tim McGraw
Producers: Louis Bell and Charlie Handsome
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Luke Combs, James McNair, Ernest
-
2. “Finer Things”
Featuring: Hank Williams Jr.
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Luke Combs, Josh Thompson, James McNair, Ernest
-
3. “I Had Some Help”
Featuring: Morgan Wallen
Producers: Charlie Handsome, Hoskins, Louis Bell
Writers: Post Malone, Hoskins, Louis Bell, Morgan Wallen, Charlie Handsome, Ernest, Ashley Gorley, Chandler Paul Walters
-
4. “Pour Me a Drink”
Featuring: Blake Shelton
Writers: Post Malone, Charlie Handsome, John Byron, Jordan Dozzi, Louis Bell, Rocky Block
-
5. “Have the Heart”
Featuring: Dolly Parton
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Lainey Wilson, Brad Paisley, Ashley Gorley
-
6. “What Don’t Belong to Me”
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Ashley Gorley, Ernest, James Maddocks
-
7. “Goes Without Saying”
Featuring: Brad Paisley
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Ashley Gorley, Josh Thompson, Chase McGill, Joe Reeves
-
8. “Guy for That”
Featuring: Luke Combs
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome and Hoskins
Writers: Post Malone, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins, James McNair, Louis Bell, Luke Combs, Ernest
-
9. “Nosedive”
Featuring: Lainey Wilson
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Luke Combs, James McNair, Ernest, Billy Walsh
-
10. “Losers”
Featuring: Jelly Roll
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Ashley Gorley, Ernest, Joe Reeves, Chandler Walters
-
11. “Devil I’ve Been”
Featuring: Ernest
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Writers: Post Malone, Ernest, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins, Chandler Walters
-
12. “Never Love You Again”
Featuring: Sierra Ferrell
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Chris Tompkins, Rhett Akins
-
13. “Missin’ You Like This”
Featuring: Luke Combs
Writers: Post Malone, Luke Combs, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hardy, Ashley Gorley, James McNair
-
14. “California Sober”
Featuring: Chris Stapleton
Writers: Post Malone, Chris Stapleton, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Mark Holman
-
15. “Hide My Gun”
Featuring: Hardy
Writers: Post Malone, Hardy, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Ernest, Xplicit, Billy Walsh
-
16. “Right About You”
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Ernest, Chandler Walters
-
17. “M-E-X-I-C-O”
Featuring: Billy Strings
Writers: Post Malone, Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Chase McGill
-
18. “Yours”
Writers: Post Malone, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Ernest, Taylor Phillips