If I Know Me, the first studio album of the admired Morgan Wallen, was released in 2018. Prior, the country star had been featured on the hit show “The Voice” and released 3 different EPs. Since the release of this project, Morgan Wallen has gone platinum multiple times, and has featured over ten songs on the billboard number one. Safe to say he has been quite successful in the short time of five years. This double platinum album holds 14 songs, with a runtime of just over 45 minutes. With all this success in recent history, did it all start with If I Know Me, or was it a slow start in his acclaimed career?

It certainly was not a slow start.

Introduction

While this wasn’t his “debut,” it certainly seems like it. If I Know Me truly started his rise to stardom, and rightfully so. The songs have quite the diversity at times, and it doesn’t seem like you are listening to the same thing over and over, which is one of the downfall of the country music genre. The production is great, as the songs have different flows that are certain to keep you entertained for the whole 43-minute project. In addition, one of my favorite aspects of country music is the storytelling, and that is evident here. Morgan’s lyricism is quite top notch and flows with the story almost flawlessly. All this and I didn’t mention his voice, as he has one of the best voices in all of the country scene. Now, let’s go more in depth into the project.

Production

From front to back, you can see many different styles of production. Whether the slower aspects in songs like “Chasin You”, or the faster past tone created in songs like “Up Down,” there is something for every country fan. On the slower paced songs, Morgan brings out acoustics to match the vibe. While the faster paced songs feature different guitar styles and, a lot of the time, drums that enhance the catchiness of the instrumentals. Some of the best parts of the album are featured in the instrumentals, especially on “If I Know Me” and “Little Rain.” I think one of the most interesting aspects of these instrumentals are the simplicity of them, yet they happen to remain so capturing. Matching these with Morgan’s vocals creates some of the most wonderfully produced songs in the genre.

I believe that it is hard to mention the production without acknowledging the success of Morgan’s background vocals. Once again, “If I Know Me” is evidence of this success, as his background vocals connect the chorus to the instrumental. Although they are sparsely used throughout the project, his genius is showcased through via his delicate touch in these moments. On top of not making them focal points of the album, he succeeds.

Another important aspect to add onto the production level is the consistency in structure with his songs. Early on, he repeats the same structure within his song creation, but chooses to break it up with “Whiskey Glasses” which displays a different view on a break up and relationships as a whole. This again shows that simplicity goes a long way, as learning about the background of each song and seeing this pattern being broken in different songs, shows the difference in meaning of each song. In addition, his use of a bridge in almost every song is excellent. It serves as a connection (no duh) to the final rendition of the chorus, while still holding tons of meaning to the storytelling. It almost serves as a final turning point in the story of each song.

Vocal Performance

One of the most appealing things about Morgan Wallen is his voice. He can adapt it into many different styles, which really draws his ability to being able to produce a project like this one. As stated before, he has songs with a more upbeat style, and some very slow songs here. He doesn’t appear to get out of his vocal zone, and doesn’t seem to struggle hitting any notes anywhere. Furthermore, like I had said, this is also noticable in his background vocals. It is something about his continually adaptive tone to the instrumental that creates a great balance on his songs. While listening, it almost feels like his vocals are part of the instrumental, that is just how well he brings his vocals to the table: they simply fit seeminglessly into the tracks.

It’s important to note, however, that his vocals can get too plain in times. While his voice does have diversity, he continues to go back to similar styles, where he can fall flat. This sloppiness doesn’t necessarily detract from the entirity of the project, but it definitely holds back tracks like “If I Get You Back” and “Not Good At Not.” Vocals aren’t the only downfalls of these tracks, but they contribute to it.

He really benefits from being able to go from a song like “Up Down” and “Happy Hour” to a slower song like “Had Me By Halftime.” Being able to switch his vocal pattern in this project strengthens the storyline and meanings throughout; however, I don’t like how he switches the pattern at times. “Not Good At Not” to “Talkin Tennessee” is an example. Two songs with two entierly different styles and tone, but find themselves in the last two slots of the project. This is a weird placement to me, as there is zero connection anywhere between these two songs, which to me, makes these tracks meaningless in the long run.

Storytelling

One of the best things about country music is the meaning and storytelling, and Morgan doesn’t fall short here. Every song has a meaning behind it, and that was my favorite part of reviewing this album. The lyricism on display is very smart and portrays Morgan’s visions for each song wonderfully. The way he can bend a word to make it fit his rhyme scheme is one of the ways he succeeds in this. On top of this, the way he can include common sayings or songs, like that in “Little Rain,” adds that little detail that builds character. One of the best storyline that was built was that of “Had Me By Halftime,” as he creates this whole vision of the game they are at. Through his imagery, the listener is brought to the scene he creates, which makes the song that much more meaningful to the tracklist.

Another aspect of the project is the difference in views on a similar topic. Morgan consistantly writes about heartbreak or finding love. While this is explored throuhgout, different viewpoints are used. In “Whiskey Glasses,” he feels the need to drink away his pain and sorrow from his previous breakup. However, in “Happy Hour” he simply is drinking, as he isn’t truly sad about his breakup. The differential here is a miniscule thing, however, it shows variety. He also provides examples of how love tears through his life, such as in “Not Good At Not,” where the protagonist cannot resist their partner’s love. “Chasin You” explores a similar viewpoint, where the protagonist is so attached to his ex-partner, he feels the need to continually chase her. Like I said, these differences are a small thing, but add to the overall meaning of different viewpoints in love.

Conclusion

A great debut album for Morgan Wallen, which benefits from his amazing storytelling with his lyricsm, his vocal performance being top tier, and the instrumentals that effortlessly tie the song with his vocals. All in all, this album is a 8.3/10, as it does get a little repetitive, however, keeps it short and sweet, and most importantly, is memorable.

Weakest Track: The Weakest track on the album is “Whatcha Know Bout That.” While it is close with the bottom three tracks, it suffers from the same faults of the other two: similar style, plain vocals, and being forgettable. I can’t lie, I almost forgot this song was on the album.

Strongest Track: The strongest track for me was “If I Know Me.” It showcases the most diversity on the album. The instrumental is amazing, as it is something that is never explored anywhere else on the project. The mesh between the instrumental and background and main vocals are the best it can be on the album, which the vocals are some of the best here. It really benefits from the diversity of the track all in all.

Song Rankings:

1. “If I Know Me”
2. “Whiskey Glasses”
3. “Little Rain”
4. “Up Down” (feat. Florida Georgia Line)
5. “Happy Hour”
6. “Gone Girl”
7. “Chasin You”
8. “Had Me By Halftime”
9. “Talkin Tennessee”
10. “Redneck Love Song”
11. “The Way I Talk”
12. “Not Good at Not”
13. “If I Get You Back”
14. “Whatcha Know Bout That”

Final Notes

Song rankings are always subject to change over time, so don’t take these too to heart. They also are just my opinion. With that being said, I would love to hear your opinions, so leave them in the comment section below. We also suggest subscribing to our blog. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the form. That will allow you to receive emails of new blogs and maybe get them ahead of time. Finally, go give If I Know Me a listen for yourself, as I highly recommend this album to anyone just wanting to get into the country scene, as it’s a great introduction into a great genre.