The Earliest Bird 9-17-21 – 9-23-21 Top New Recorded Release, Lil Nas X’s “Montero” Reviewed
If Lil Nas X had been born in 1939 instead of 1999 he would have been Little Richard. More than anything, Lil Nas X has revelled in his sexuality… if he had been born in 1959 he would have been the gay Prince. But born into the enlightened (relatively speaking) 2020s, he has managed to thoroughly embrace the image and attention of a gay starlet and super-pop star. The most famous bottom after Troye Sivan, and the biggest new pop star of the 2020s -bigger than Olivia Rodrigo, gave a fresh vision to the rap and pop game.
Every single he has ever released, his EP, his videos, his attitude, everything he has done so far has been first rate and his first album, Montero, which includes only two of his singles, is one of the greatest debuts you’ll ever hear, up there with Public Enemy and Elvis Costello, just a sublime collection of hooks and sounds and cultural breakthrough like he was Elton John (who plays piano on “One Of Me”) coming out in 1976. People are no longer shocked or scandalized by homosexuality as such, but the mechanics might make some bigots queasy. To do what Lil Nas X has done is, indeed, brave -especially in the hip hop community.
Montero starts with a bang and gets slowly darker and darker and then ends. The title track finds Lil Nas X (topping, I believe) aching to out a celebrity he is sleeping with, on the next song he attacks people who only glommed onto him after “Old Town Road,” the third song was already a look at me hit (with Jack Harlow -a guy whose time has come), the fourth track, “That’s What I Want” is a looking for love straight up banger. It doesn’t end, the look at me “Dolla Sign Slime” includes a fantastic Megan Thee Stallion Verse.
Then, things get dark on the last four tracks and it is a bummer though while musically it is moving stuff do we want a Lil Nas X that has never been sadder and cries through the night? Well, we’ve got one and will have to live with the realization (once again) that fame is a bitch. Wanna get fucked up the ass? Get famous.
Grade: A-
