4.5 out of 5.0 stars
After delving into house music with her previous album “RENAISSANCE,” released in 2022, Beyoncé proves yet again that she can conquer any genre with her latest album “COWBOY CARTER,” released March 29.
Despite hailing from Houston, Texas, and always being proud of her southern roots, many fans were shocked when Beyoncé released “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and “16 CARRIAGES” during the Super Bowl LVIII. To Beyoncé, country music was something that needed to be reclaimed by Black Americans, as the genre is usually associated with white artists.
In an Instagram post around the time of the album’s release, Beyoncé said she had an experience that did not make her feel welcomed into the genre. Though not necessarily stated, many fans thought that she was referencing her performance with The Chicks at the 2016 Country Music Awards, which received backlash from viewers, who posted nasty and racist comments. Five years later, Beyoncé clapped back with an album that is more than just country, but a message about the importance of representation in all spaces.
The album has 27 tracks and starts off with “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” a beautiful song filled with Beyoncé’s warm vocals and lovely harmonies in the beginning. This track tackles the harsh criticisms that Beyoncé received when she first entered the country music world head-on as she sings, “Used to say I spoke / ‘Too country’/ And then the rejection came / said I wasn’t country enough.” “AMERIICAN REQUIEM” is a solid track and sets the pace well for the rest of the album.
The album continues with “BLACKBIIRD,” a cover of the hit by Paul McCartney that features Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts. The two versions sound almost identical with a few extra vocals from the artist featured in Beyoncé’s rendition. However, the meaning of each version is different. McCartney’s version is centered around the Little Rock Nine, who were nine black students that were prevented from entering Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas, even after the U.S. Supreme Court passed Brown v. Board of Education, which desegregated schools in the United States.
Béyonce’s version, on the other hand, highlights the four singers featured on this track as they struggled for many years to gain acceptance into the Nashville Country music world.
Beyoncé speeds things up with “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,” which kicked off her country era Feb. 11. This track brings honor and glory to the state where everything is bigger. The fast banjo and acoustic guitar along with the stomping beat transports the listener to a Western saloon with Beyoncé taking center stage as people square dance the night away.
Dolly Parton is known as the godmother of country music and her song “Jolene” is what gave her that title. Whoever covers this country classic has to do it justice and that is exactly what Beyoncé did with her rendition of “JOLENE.” Instead of singing about the woman with flaming locks of auburn hair, Beyoncé sings about another woman and Parton refers to this woman as “that hussy with the good hair” in “DOLLY P.” This is a reference to Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Sorry,” where she talks about a woman with good hair, named Becky.
What sets this song apart from the original is that Beyoncé is warning Jolene to stay away from her man, instead of begging her like Parton does. The lyrics, “There’s a thousand girls in every room / that act as desperate as you do / you a bird / go on and sing your tune,” should leave Jolene shaking in her boots for messing with not one, but two powerful women. Even though Parton praised this rendition, some fans expressed their frustrations about the track, saying that Béyonce ruined the country classic. But if Parton gives this track her seal of approval, then it must be good.
One of the album’s strongest aspects is the amount of features and the way Beyoncé integrates them into the album. Like a puzzle, each feature is a piece that completes the overall concept of the album. Tracks like “SMOKE HOUR II,” featuring Willie Nelson, and “THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW,” featuring Linda Martell, are interludes that have the guest say a few lines before transitioning into the next song, giving the album more flavor. It also gives fans a little history about the country music world, as Martell is the first successful female Black country artist with the release of “Color Me Country” in 1970. While the “Smoke Hour” is a fictional radio show, it is a nice call back to Nelson being a disc jockey for several radio stations in Texas in the 1950s.
The actual duets on the album are spectacular. One surprisingly strong duet is “II MOST WANTED,” which features Miley Cyrus, a collaboration no one expected. This beautiful ballad has both artists sing about being a rider or die for the people they love. Their powerful vocals paired with the sound of a sweet guitar makes this song a treat for listeners of both artists. “LEVII’S JEANS,” featuring Post Malone, was also a nice surprise. Malone and Béyonce’s voices blend nicely together for a smooth duet that is easy on the ears. Similar to Cyrus, Malone is the last person fans would expect Béyonce to collaborate with. However, it is not Malone’s first rodeo as he sang a cover of “I’m Gonna Miss Her” by country artist Brad Paisley in 2021, making Malone the perfect candidate for “COWBOY CARTER.”
“COWBOY CARTER” is one of Beyoncé’s most innovative works to date because she was able to take an entire genre of music and make it her own. Like she said, this is not a country album, but a Beyoncé album. Fans who are not familiar with the genre and its history will get a crash course in an exhilarating way that only Beyoncé knows how to do.
