Post Malone - Stoney (Album Review)

Post Malone burst onto the scene mysteriously with "White Iverson" which introduced him to most listeners. At this point almost everyone who has heard Post Malone has had a look at the braided singer, rapper, crooner musician. Some think he's a polarizing figure and his talent and image has been debated back and forth among those on the Internet. I've generally enjoyed Post Malone. He's done some things that have had me raising an eyebrow, but I've enjoyed his music. I really like "White Iverson" and reviewed it pretty positively. He's continued to have singles since then that I've also really enjoyed so I was looking forward to hearing his debut album, Stoney.

Stoney is very much a hybrid beast musically. There are elements of genres like rap, country, rock, pop, and R&B. I actually think the deluxe edition of this album is a little stronger than the standard version because it has one of my favorite songs from the release, "Feeling Whitney", which is basically a trap R&B song infused with country music. I like the vocal approach; it's laid back and captures a great lamenting vibe that goes with the lyrics. In a lot of ways it reminds me of a modern day mixing of hip hop and country in the same way that Kid Rock's "Only God Knows Why" was back in the early 2000s.

I like the way the album is produced. Malone's vocals wind in and out of the forefront becoming more of an instrument and a vibe creator for the album. I think that works nicely with Malone's vocal approach and especially with the production approach on his vocals. "Deja Vu" features Justin Bieber. I liked the song when it was released as a single even though, then and now, I still think the "Hotline Bling" and "Cha Cha" vibe is strong with it. Bieber delivers a solid performance and I think Malone and Bieber pulled out a fairly solid collaboration on this one. The beat on "Cold" sounds nice and I think it's one of Malone's stronger vocal performances on the album. "Fall Apart" also features a nice vocal performance. "White Iverson" is included on the album and while it seems like it's been around forever it also seems like not including one of the better Post Malone songs would be a big missed opportunity for anyone just finding him through this debut album. This album is pretty long and I do think a few songs tend to flow together and not stick out as much as I would like, but it isn't a huge problem for me.

Overall, I think Stoney is going to be a polarizing album for some people. One reason might be because we're still yet to see a clear road to where Post Malone is headed. Will he be remembered mainly for "White Iverson" or will he continue to evolve and experiment and find his footing in the ever changing music industry? Will he be able to define himself and carve out his style a little bit more? There are some songs on Stoney that are newer and older. I think that shows; it sounds like it was recorded over a long period of time because you can hear the experimentation in some of these songs. Overall, it works, in my opinion, more than it doesn't. I also think that with the production on the album he's able keep the vibe and flow pretty consistent for the most part. There are those older songs that seemed shoehorned in just because they are the hits, but it's not surprising since this is his official debut album. I think when everything is pulled together the album is interesting and I come out enjoying it for the most part. The criticism he's gotten is fair in some ways, but I can't deny Stoney has quite a few songs that I'm really liking. I think it's worth checking out.