Is the New Morgan Wallen Record Core, Bore, or Snore?
It’s no secret, Pulltab Sports is pro Morgan Wallen. So, when he decides to drop 37 songs, and 1 hour and 57 minutes of new music, we pay attention.
Quick sidebar . . .why are musicians compelled to release so much music at once these days? Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction was 12 songs clocking in at less than an hour, AC/DC’s Back in Black just 10 songs and 42 minutes. Maybe we can blame Covid, or Taylor Swift. But it seems the idea of a proper album with meaningful song integrity has been replaced with a lengthy Spotify playlist that feels more like a mall food court where you just end up wandering around looking for something before playing with your heat lamp food. Not to mention you’ve already heard five or six singles by the time the album comes out.
Morgan Wallen’s star has never been brighter, as he recently played to what looked like a million people at his Sand in my Boots festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. And when he’s at his best, Wallen is a quintessential modern country artist churning out hits like “Whiskey Glasses,” “865,” and “Band-Aid on a Bullet Hole.” He sings about whiskey, trucks, and his mother. And he’s done it brilliantly and consistently for years.
But something is different about this record. It might be that 37 songs isn’t an album, it’s a half marathon. And if you were unfortunate enough to be listening to the new record, I’m the Problem while running a half marathon, odds are you wouldn’t finish. It’s too often plodding, melancholy, and sluggish.
There seems to be a weight hanging over I’m the Problem. Maybe it’s Morgan’s new life as a father trading tossing chairs off bar balconies for highchairs, maybe he’s “a father and a son who needs that holy ghost,” or maybe he’s just downshifting to avoid his third mug shot.
The title track “I’m the Problem” in many ways is indicative of the entire album. It’s a nice song, but it feels a little heavy, and a little sad. If you do the work to listen to the full two hours of new songs, I’m the Problem will leave you feeling like you’re wearing a hoodie when the sun comes out, leaving you wanting just enough sunshine to tie it around your waist. But sadly, the sun never comes.
But let’s be nice. Country music can do a lot less than Morgan Wallen. Even if the current version of Morgan Wallen needs a gallon of Celsius and some Prozac. When reviewing a new record, what we’re looking for is songs you’d be excited to hear at Wallen’s next live show. What songs on this record would have you fist pumping and tapping your buddy on the shoulder at US Bank Stadium saying, “I love this one!” before singing along full throated to every word? Which of these songs would you put on a guy’s trip playlist? Which song is going to sound great on the pontoon on 4th of July?
The honest truth here, not much.
The true Wallen scholars willing to do the work will be left shaking their heads as one of the most intriguing bits of music buried in these 37 tracks might just be the :39 second transition titled “Interlude.” We’ll have some more of that, please! How in the hell is that little gold nugget not a full song? Hopefully somewhere Diplo is listening and turns that sample into a summer banger, so we get something more out of this half marathon.
THE CORE
As for the core tracks on the 37-song odyssey that is the new I’m the Problem record, well it’s not a long list. The most Morgan Wallen songs here have already been released. “I’m a little Crazy” is vintage Wallen howling like a coyote at a world gone mad (i.e. 2025). “Just in Case” is a delicious bubble gum hit as well.
The only non-released true core track on the record is probably “Missing” which comes complete with just the sort of syrupy and undeniable hook Wallen is known for.
Wallen’s collab with Tate McCrae will make the masses happy. While it’s breathy and over produced and McCrae sounds like she flosses with Auto-Tune, “What I Want” is a grower for sure. While it may not be a staple Wallen track, it’s fun, and feels like right now.
If you’re rooting for Wallen and this record specifically, a lot is going to come down to how he chooses to play these songs live. Wallen is a true singer-songwriter, the sort of country artist that would be comfortable with an acoustic guitar and a tractor rim fire pit. And he has some things to work with here. We could see the Hardy duet “Come Back as a Redneck” being fun live, and he might be able to slow down “20 Cigarettes” enough to make it iconic played acoustic on a small stage, lighters out as Wallen makes love to a cigarette like only the late Eddie Van Halen could.
And to be fair, any Wallen music is better than no Wallen music. And let’s pause just for a moment to appreciate how country and how clever a lyricist this guy is. For instance, I’m the Problem does include a drinking toast masquerading as a song called “Skoal, Chevy, and Browning” where Wallen shares a simple recipe for life:
If you’re gonna be a friend, be a friend like Skoal always there in a pinch
If you’re gonna love a woman, you got to love her like a Chevy steady as a rock
If something’s on your mind you’ve got something to say do it like a Browning and try to shoot em straight
Hell, just look around ya, be Skoal, Chevy, and Browning
So, no matter what, that happened, and it didn’t suck.
Oh, and did we mention I’m the Problem includes a second-chance drunk driving anthem “Number 3 and Number 7” with Eric Church where Wallen helpfully reminds us to avoid driving like #3 (Dale Earnhardt) when drinking old #7 (Jack Daniels)?!
That’s the thing with Wallen, even when you want to skip over a song, he’ll drop a line like “my neighbor’s still shootin’ all next year’s deer” or “kids ride by scared on their Santa Claus bikes” that makes you sort of pause and appreciate that even if Morgan has lost a few MPH on his fastball, at least his lip is still full of dip.
Do 9 core tracks and a tasty :39 second interlude make a great record? Well, they would. But when they’re buried amid 37 tracks like a cluttered table at T.J. Maxx, not so much. There is way too much filler here, much of it at the end as the album really tails off before “I’m a Little Crazy” finally sticks the landing. Leaving way more chore and snore than core tracks for Wallen fans to look forward to. But at least Morgan gives us a nice little 5K buried deep in this half marathon. Hopefully he’ll try some things at his live shows to give these songs a bit more life, and maybe next time just give us a great album instead of a bloated playlist. We shouldn’t have to work this hard to see the sculpture in the marble.
Core tracks:
“Interlude” —promise of what’s to come?
“Just in Case”
“I’m a Little Crazy”
“Missing”
(next rung down, interesting that so many include collaborators)
“Come Back as a Redneck (feat. Hardy)”
“The Dealer (feat. Ernest)”
“Whiskey in Reverse”
“Skoal, Chevy, and Browning”
“20 Cigarettes”
“What I Want (feat. Tate McCrae)”
“Number 3 and Number 7 (feat. Eric Church)”
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