Beyoncé is a highly acclaimed singer, songwriter, actress and producer known for her powerful voice, captivating performances and influential presence in the music industry. She has released numerous hit songs and won 32 Grammy Awards throughout her career. Following her latest album “RENAISSANCE,” an ode and reference to Vogue and Ballroom culture, Beyoncé released her country album “COWBOY CARTER” on Mar. 29, 2024.
This album is the second part of her planned trilogy of albums, the third concept not yet revealed. The album does contrast her last in many different ways, from marketing to the concept and bold vocal performances. “COWBOY CARTER” not only has songs that delve into more of her personal life, but Beyoncé is diving into a genre of music many fans and listeners don’t consider to be a familiar part of her discography. “COWBOY CARTER” was meant to be the first album of her trilogy but ended up making Act ii due to the “RENAISSANCE” dance elements, stating that the world “needed a dance album,” after the dark times of the Pandemic.
Although she has hits like, “Daddy Lessons” from her album “Lemonade,” released in 2016 and she performed a bluegrass / folk inspired version of her song “Irreplaceable” with country-duo ‘Sugarland’ at the American Music Awards in 2007, fans don’t normally associate Beyoncé with country music.
“COWBOY CARTER” has been her first self-titled country album in her career. Some listeners may argue that the album strays from sounding like traditional country, but Beyoncé has achieved the sound of this genre by having classic country icons, including Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, feature on the album. Being born and raised in Houston, Texas, she claims to have listened and been inspired by country music from an early age, specifically introduced to it by her grandfather.
On Nov. 2, 2016, Beyoncé’s performance of “Daddy Lessons” was immensely praised by musical critics and gave the ‘Country Music Association Awards’ their highest viewership in history at the time. Unfortunately, it was also bashed with major hate, with some country music fans criticizing Beyoncé and ranting that she did not even “belong” in the genre of country. Plenty of the backlash was not well received from fans online, claiming that they thought Beyoncé was blacklisted from pressure of racist and conservative viewers.
In Dec. of 2016, the ‘Recording Academy’s country music committee’ rejected “Daddy Lessons” in contemplation of a Grammy Award, with critics complaining that the song was not seen as being “country enough,” in which “AMERICAN REQUIEM” features a direct response to that backlash.
Beyoncé stuck to Pop and RnB for quite a while, but it’s clear from “RENAISSANCE” and “COWBOY CARTER” that the artist is growing more confident in expanding her horizons into other musical genres.
In addition to country icons like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, Beyoncé pays homage in this album to black contributors of the Cowboy scene, and overall pioneers to the country / bluegrass / folk genres. She features artists like Linda Martell, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, Shaboozey and Willie Jones. The album’s musical composition is crafted by acoustic instruments played by Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Nile Rodgers, Jon Batiste, Gary Clark Jr. and Rhiannon Giddens.
Something “COWBOY CARTER ” may lack is it is not a conventional album: a lot of the songs have her own twist to them, and plenty of interludes. Some may argue that interludes like “SMOKE HOUR ★ WILLIE NELSON” and “DOLLY P” were unnecessary, although it did add a thematic charm to the album. One of Beyoncé’s strengths in this album is it does have a rather homey-fun vibe, and many of the songs on there are insanely catchy, like “SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIN’.” Listeners can stream it via Apple Music and Spotify. I rate this album four out of five stars.