Lil Nas X dropped his album, MONTERO, on Sep. 17. His previous album, titled 7 came out on June 21, 2019, so this latest album has been long anticipated by fans. Lil Nas X is known for being able to perform different styles of music, and this album showcases that ability. 

There’s a track on MONTERO for everyone, which was written to show people that they are not alone when it comes to hardship, and everyone experiences difficulties at one point in life or another. Some songs on the album also have a cheerful, upbeat melody, which is a nice balance to the songs that have a more melancholy tone.

MONTERO begins with the song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” This song is popular around the world. The music video shocked many with it’s ironically biblical references while displaying Lil Nas’s sexuality. Most notably, it was a number one song on The Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics are amazing and catchy. It’s entertaining to investigate the deeper meaning of the lyrics while listening to the song. 

The second song strays from the format of MONTERO, but most likely people are going to shuffle these within their playlists. “DEAD RIGHT NOW” tells a story about fake friends. This song portrays something everyone can relate to. The message behind this track is that people only want to be with successful people. Another aspect of the song that makes it more interesting is that Lil Nas X’s father appears on this song. 

The next track is “INDUSTRY BABY,” featuring Jack Harlow. Lil Nas X has not been on the music scene for a long time, yet he has already had three number one songs on The Billboard Hot 100 and this is one of them. Not only are Lil Nas X’s lyrics a representation of his talent, but Jack Harlow had an equally great verse in “INDUSTRY BABY.” They even released a second version of the song due to its massive success. 

“THATS WHAT I WANT” steps away from rap and presents a lyrical version of Lil Nas X that fans love hearing. With the guitar instrumental, it is hard not to like the beat, at least. The quick tempo also is a great component of the song. His bars bring light to an issue among gay, black men, who are sometimes discriminated against by the Black community. Lil Nas X clearly wants to vocalize his problem to others like him and share with them that they’re not alone. He also is bringing awareness to the situation and making it less stigmatized within the black community. 

“THE ART OF REALIZATION” almost serves as an intermission in the album expressing that Lil Nas X feels like he’s going nowhere in life. 

“SCOOP,” featuring Doja Cat, has a unique beat and a great instrumental to compliment that beat. Doja Cat’s verse is a nice addition, but there are only four recognizable bars. She definitely needed more verses in this song. Lil Nas X’s verses are definitely the best. The amount of times Lil Nas X says “scoop” gets annoying. Understandably it’s the chorus, but at a point it becomes too repetitive. 

The seventh song on the track is “ONE OF ME,” featuring Elton John. Lil Nas mocks those who say that “Old Town Road” was his only good song and that the rest of his songs are going to flop. Elton John’s piano segments are good, but he should have used a feature to which more of his fans could relate. 

“LOST IN THE CITADEL” is an absolute banger. It’s a mix of pop and rock which is an exceptionally hard beat to pull off, and yet Lil Nas X killed it. The bars are sentimental and then flip around quickly and become stern. It shows a cool dynamic that is not often showcased in music. It is a very relatable song to many because it shows how he’s getting over a heartbreak. This is a necessity in a playlist because people tend to like music they can relate to.

The next song is “DOLLA SIGN SLIME,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion. This song is a mix of pop and hard rap which is definitely a strong suit of Lil Nas X. Also, he is very clever with his bars. He compares himself to Babe Ruth, saying he has a lot of hits. Megan Thee Stallion’s entire verse was cold. She flexes her popularity, and then she offers some innuendos which make the verse. 

After “DOLLA SIGN SLIME” the album diverts from the cheerful side to a more melancholy tone. “TALES OF DOMINICA” reveals much about Lil Nas X’s childhood and shows how sad it was. His mother left him, and he felt alone in a broken home. “TALES OF DOMINICA” is one of the best songs on the album despite its gloomy tone with the beat complimenting that tone. The transparency of Lil Nas X’s feelings through his verses helps him to reach out to people experiencing the same problem he faced. 

“SUN GOES DOWN” has a similar message to “TALES OF DOMINICA,” Lil Nas X feels very lonely, and he even expresses times where he was bullied for how he looked. Overall, the song is great with a clean beat and relatable bars. 

“VOID” is Lil Nas X’s message to his younger self. He expresses how it is very hard for him to find love. His singing is unmatched, but the beat is not the best. While it does compliment his singing, it’s not much different from most of his previous beats from other songs. 

“DON’T WANT IT” is a hard rap song. Lil Nas X’s performance in this song is killer, and the multiple tones of voices he uses are balanced. They overlap, so it is very easy for one to overpower the other voices, but it is so clean. Lil Nas X says that “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” is the number one song on The Billboard Hot 100. The only complaint of this song is that it is short. The bars are insane, and Lil Nas X goes off, making it possibly the best song on MONTERO. 

“LIFE AFTER SALEM” is the penultimate song of the album. It has a sharp, punk beat which most are not accustomed to, but his more melodic verses help transition listeners who are unfamiliar with this type of beat. Obviously, this song is named after the Salem Witch Trials, which is a representation of people who are upset at him for being gay. 

The final song of the album, “AM I DREAMING,” featuring Miley Cyrus, shows what Lil Nas X and Miley Cyrus do best. The light guitar background with their melodic chorus is phenomenal. The best part of this song is that they sing together which adds even more emotion to the song. It is the perfect feature with which to end the album because they both have faced scrutiny for being open with their sexuality. However, this may not be the best song to put on a playlist because of it’s depressing tone. 

The only negative aspect of this album is that there were not more songs. Every single song is worth listening to. Lil Nas X clearly showed through MONTERO that he is capable of pulling off different musical styles, making MONTERO a strong candidate for album of the year. 

Lil Nas X has put out a masterpiece of an album as there is a song on this album for everyone. Every track is unique with a consistent and relatable message. Everyone should agree that there’s not a bad song on MONTERO.