Photo from Parkwood Entertainment
Music superstar and industry veteran, Beyoncé released her eighth studio album Cowboy Carter on Friday, March 29. The 27-track body of work has already broken multiple records since its release, like being the most streamed album in a single day on Spotify for the year 2024. The album was also declared an “instant classic” with an 100/100 score by Rolling Stone – notably making this her second studio album to do so since her release of Lemonade.
But, aside from the incurred accolades and resounding praise that the album has amassed, the tale that Cowboy Carter weaves over the course of its length is something much more calculated and detailed. From the album’s lead singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” to the unique sounds of “YA YA” and “Desert Eagle,” Beyoncé uses Cowboy Carter to push the boundaries of what we’ve come to understand as ‘genre’ while also educating us on the hidden history of country music.
The album opens with “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” an undulating ballad that plays on the more traditional aspects of country while also incorporating earthy, full vocals akin to those found in traditional Black American hymns commonly known as Negro spirituals. The intro track also does well to divulge much of the singer’s personal story and album inspirations from the beginning.
The grandbaby of a moonshine man
Gadsden, Alabama
Got folk down in Galveston, rooted in Louisiana
Used to say I spoke, ‘Too country’
And the rejection came, said ‘I wasn't country 'nough’
Addressing much of the backlash she received with the announcement of her upcoming country album — some claiming that the singer’s leading singles weren’t even country at all — the Houston native highlights the criticism that she’s faced throughout the course of her career. Most notably, Beyoncé indirectly addresses her infamous performance of “Daddy Lessons” alongside the Dixie Chicks at the 50th annual Country Music Awards in 2016.
“This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” the singer stated in an Instagram post prior to Cowboy Carter’s release. “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me.”
However, Beyoncé’s own personal history is not the only story she tells. Throughout Cowboy Carter, we are given tidbits of Black history with the intentional interweaving of Black culture through a range of production techniques and instrumental diversity, replicating both traditional country heard in “ALIIGATOR TEARS” as well as Southern and modern hip hop influences heard in “SPAGHETTII”. But, most importantly, we see trailblazer Linda Martell highlighted throughout the album’s course. Martell, a ‘genre shifter’ herself, began as an R&B singer in the 1960s in the trio Linda Martell & the Anglos before re-debuting as a country singer with her album Color Me Country in 1970.
Martell went on to become the first commercially successful Black female country artist with her album peaking at no. 40 on Billboard as well as the first Black female to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. But, her career was met with much backlash and racial discrimination, causing her to leave the country music scene altogether. Despite not necessarily being a household name, her impact never went unnoticed. Beyoncé makes sure that listeners become nothing less than familiar with her legacy. In addition to Martell, and the singer’s inclusion of Black country’s past, she also features Black country’s future on the album with artists like Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts and Tiera Kennedy appearing on “BLACKBIIRD,” a soulful rendition of the well-known Beatles’ hit.
Beyoncé also made sure to showcase and highlight mainstream country history, with features from the two of the genre’s legends – Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. The album even features a cover of Parton’s classic hit “Jolene” with dark, smooth vocals over the echoed traditional acoustic riffs that its original version showcases. Not only this, but the singer also collaborated with current ‘genre shifters’ in the country music scene, like Post Malone, Shaboozey, Miley Cyrus and Willie Jones.
Beyond the inclusion of Black cultural influences and country music history lessons, Beyoncé continues to push the boundaries of genre borders through an innovative exploration of artistry not typically seen. From the almost haunting display of her opera vocals in a short cover of “Caro Mio Bien” on the track “Daughter” to her samples of artists like the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry and Nancy Sinatra, Cowboy Carter redefines many of our preconceptions of what music ‘should be’ while telling a tale that is often unheard. In the lyrics of the superstar herself:
“If that ain’t country, tell me what is.”
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