Country star Morgan Wallen owns the #12 spot on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, with ‘Wasted On You,’ a song that peaked at #9. Another track from Wallen’s most recent album has also reached the top ten, making him the rare country artist to see consistent success on this chart.

My knowledge of Wallen extends only to the headlines. First it was the cancelled SNL appearance due to his breaking COVID protocols in the week before the show. Then it was him getting caught on tape using the n-word during a drunken night out with friends. Not a good look.

That incident led to the temporary removal of Wallen’s featured playlists from Spotify, Apple Music and other streamers. It also led to a huge spike in his sales, spurring a conversation about the prevalence of racism among country music fans. For his part, Wallen was apologetic, talked to the right people, and did the right things, including donating $300k to the Black Music Action Coalition, an organization addressing systemic racism in the industry.

So… controversies aside, is his music any good?

Today’s song is decent enough. It’s a basic whiskey-soaked bro-country weeper, with a hint of hip-hop in the production. Brad Paisley and Lyle Lovett aside, I’ve never been a big fan of male country artists, and I don’t see that changing for this guy.