2019 seemed to be a year when artists deigned to experiment a little more. Maybe it was to keep up with the times and the new artists coming in, and their music. Whatever the reason, Post Malone's Hollywood's Bleeding is a good example of this envelope being pushed, with better results than his previous two efforts.
Post Malone has always been treated as a rapper, were you to pigeonhole him into one specific genre. I can't act like I don't know where people are coming from here, but I don't know if I've ever heard a song where Post Malone full-on rapped. Even Nelly, who had a singsongy tone to his voice, you could tell he was still rapping. Post Malone is a singer, but I suppose he's too filthy for the upper-class club of R&B music. Just look at him, with his face tattoos and his unkempt hair. That's not a judgement on his character, by the way, I'm just explaining why he may not fit in with the Ushers and Alicia Keys of the world.
But more than rap or R&B, I think Post Malone's true calling is to be a rock star. Heck, it's the title of one of his most famous songs. So it's interesting to listen to this album and see how far the rock influences take him, from getting Ozzy Osbourne on your track to more guitar-driven melodies. I think for many of these tracks, Post Malone treads a line nicely between his previous work and his more rock-driven influences. It doesn't always work, but you get the idea that you're listening to a new level of Post Malone's music.
This is a good album, but it's not a great one for me. There are some tracks that hold it back; I'm not a fan of his caterwauling on "I'm Gonna Be", nor the laziest track on the album, "Saint-Tropez", which could have been pulled straight from Stoney and kind of clashes with the rest of the album as a result. There's also quite a bit of filler in songs like "Internet" which feel rather aimless and "Staring at the Sun" which is just "Sunflower Part 2". I get it was a big hit, but putting them back-to-back kind of gives the game away. But what makes the album work are those new rock influences, and I think it's the right direction for Post Malone to go. "Take What You Want" is by far the best song he's ever made, and in an era of genre-mixing, it does both Ozzy's and Travis Scott's guest parts justice. It's the first album that has made me excited to see where Post Malone will take his career, and hopefully we'll hear from him again in 2020. Believe me, three years ago I would not be saying that. So that should tell you all you need to know about this album's strengths. Good work, Post Malone.
6/10
Best Tracks: "Hollywood's Bleeding", "A Thousand Bad Times", "Take What You Want" (ft. Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott)
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