“Partying Abounds in Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’, Lacking Introspection”

Morgan Wallen has become an extremely popular presence in country music in recent times, thanks in no small part to the Everyman figure he embodies and the raw, whiskey-flushed country-rock tunes he churns out. Yet his popularity has come at a cost, as he was taken off Saturday Night Live in late 2020 after disregarding pandemic safety regulations and as a video of him uttering a racial slur in February 2021 sparked swift repercussions from the Nashville music scene.

The video of Morgan Wallen using a racial slur, released by TMZ, sparked widespread and necessary talks about country music's relationship with race. Despite this, his regular-guy persona and romanticism have kept his fanbase streaming his music. His most recent album Dangerous: The Double Album was released a month prior to the video and was composed of 30 songs, which helped contribute to its success. His new album, One Thing at a Time, is even more expansive with 36 songs, ensuring its success as well.

Wallen's megadose of One Thing at a Time guarantees its presence at the top of the Billboard 200 charts for some time, alongside Dangerous currently ranking No.5. His signature style is clear: catchy, airy vocal melodies, classic hard rock-influenced tracks like Staind and Puddle of Mudd, and nods to more modern genres such as trap in the case of “Sunrise”, and Rich Gang-inspired “180 (Lifestyle)”. Topped off with the title track mixing country twang and pop-rock, reminiscent of early 80's AORs, Wallen's masterful blend of sounds is timeless and sure to stay atop the charts.

Morgan Wallen’s musical output is largely about nights filled with alcohol and encounters with women not always available. His singles and co-writes for One Thing often take the approach made popular by Sia, utilizing a single metaphor to make a more detailed point. As an example, the lively “’98 Braves” narrates a relationship on the downhill by likening it to the famed Atlanta baseball squad that was victorious during the regular season but was unable to go all the way in the league championship series. He also puts a novel twist on Jesus’ miracle at the wedding in “Wine Into Water”, using it to imply a possibility of a renewed partnership with an ex. Lastly, “You Proof”, a single that peaked at number five on the Hot 100 last year, portrays a lover's enthralling power in the same vein as a potent whiskey.

Morgan Wallen’s musical output is largely about nights filled with alcohol and encounters with women not always available. His singles and co-writes for One Thing often take the approach made popular by Sia, utilizing a single metaphor to make a more detailed point. As an example, the lively “’98 Braves” narrates a relationship on the downhill by likening it to the famed Atlanta baseball squad that was victorious during the regular season but was unable to go all the way in the league championship series. He also puts a novel twist on Jesus’ miracle at the wedding in “Wine Into Water”, using it to imply a possibility of a renewed partnership with an ex. Lastly, “You Proof”, a single that peaked at number five on the Hot 100 last year, portrays a lover's enthralling power in the same vein as a potent whiskey.

On his latest release, One Thing at a Time, Morgan Wallen avoids any direct mention of his recent scandals. However, “Don’t Think Jesus”, a song about a young man growing up in a harsh, judgmental world and his struggle about throwing back a few stones of his own, serves as a subtle nod to the situation. “World likes to rear back and throw a few stones/So boy wants to throw a few stones of his own,” he sings, before adding, “But Lord knows I ain’t perfect, and it ain’t my place/And I don’t think Jesus done it that way”. Wallen originally released this track on Good Friday 2022, which gave it an apologetic vibe. Throughout the rest of the album, Wallen reflects on “good whiskey, bad decisions, [and] heartaches from some hard livin'”. One Thing at a Time, then, serves as a reminder that even with Wallen's past mistakes, it's never too late to start making positive changes.