Two years ago, Beyoncé broke musical ground with her inventive 2022 album “RENAISSANCE,” an ode to house and dance music that allowed the megastar to step into a new light. Nearly 30 years into her career, she is finding new ways to break musical frontiers, but this time, she’s strapping on her cowboy boots.
Her new album, “Cowboy Carter,” is taking the music industry by storm as she ventures into the country genre, paying homage to traditional country elements and artists while reinventing it with her signature touch. As one can expect from this blockbuster Bey album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 this week, the tracklist contains a myriad of star-studded songwriting and production credits from musical industry giants such as Raphael Saadiq, Hit-Boy, Gary Clark Jr., Jon Batiste, No ID, Ryan Tedder, Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder and many more.
The project is loaded with smooth acoustic guitar instrumentation and Beyoncé’s classic vocal range, from angelic falsettos to her deep, orotund tone. Her ability to blend country elements with hip-hop, R&B, dance, rock and pop makes the music as daring, and potentially as polarizing, as her music has ever presented itself.
“AMERIICAN REQUIEM” sets the tone early by making one thing clear: this is not your ordinary country album. I jumped into this project mostly expecting, to a certain degree, a rip on today’s diluted radio-made country-pop hits, but the intro track immediately erased all of my previous expectations. Beyoncé’s intimate yet soaring vocal layering precedes a hypnotic mesh of twangy sitar and synths, sprawling into this psych-gospel sonic voyage that ascends into a steady crescendo of moody intensity.
Lyrically, the intro track offers insight into the expectations people have placed on her while moving in a country direction: “Used to say I spoke too country / And then the rejection came, said I wasn’t country enough.”
Here and across the album, Beyoncé takes inspiration and tidbits from various rustic, bluegrass elements of traditional country and fuses it with her own production style, creating distinct tracks that feel one in their own.
The second track jumps straight into a gorgeous cover of The Beatles’ classic acoustic croon “Blackbird,” directly sampling Paul McCartney’s gentle guitar and foot tapping from the original track. Beyoncé and her lineup of soulful backup singers heighten this rendition with rich, full vocal harmonies and runs while maintaining the tune’s soft, friendly approach. The addition of airy strings at the bridge makes the iconic track more heartfelt than ever.
This first leg of the album contains several more of my personal highlights, including “PROTECTOR,” arguably one of the most tear-jerking songs on the whole record. Over a beautiful acoustic guitar, Beyoncé sings a sweet lullaby about motherhood and living to be the protector of her children, while also learning to let them go when it’s their time to leave the nest. The pure emotion and love on the record is bound to bring any new parent to tears.
“BODYGUARD,” my personal favorite track at the moment, contains catchy drums and a feel-good piano chord progression from Saadiq that feels like a breezy summer day. Bey’s wispy vocal melodies in the backdrop complete an infectious bop that I’ll be bumping well into the summer.
“II MOST WANTED,” an incredibly heartfelt duet with Miley Cyrus, exhibits the strongest collaboration on the album by a longshot. Cyrus, who’s no stranger to dabbling with country, provides earth-shattering vocal chemistry with Beyoncé that truly blew me away upon my first listen. The duo trade beautiful vocal passages over minimal acoustic guitar and bass, and their lush harmonies in the chorus create the ultimate centerpiece to the tracklist.
While “Cowboy Carter” offers many highs, there are still a handful of some forgettable moments peppered throughout. “16 CARRIAGES,” a co-lead single for the album, didn’t do a whole lot for me. The vocal performance is pretty, but the melody doesn’t captivate me as much as other tracks, and the instrumentation doesn’t offer much to grab onto.
Some other tracks with big-name features felt a bit underwhelming considering the superstar collaboration at work. “LEVII’S JEANS” with Post Malone features some solid singing from the rapper, yet the song itself seems to flatline and stay in one place.
I was also a little disappointed that some of the biggest country legends that grace the album — including Dolly Parton, Linda Martell and Willie Nelson — are limited to a couple bare interludes introducing the tracks. I would’ve liked to see some fully-fledged duets with these monumental country figures. As is, the role of their appearances feels a bit like product placement for marketing sake.
Yet, I must admit the interlude “SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON” offers a cutesy skit that is nonetheless enjoyable to listen to. An old radio surfs through various stations as Nelson plays host for “KNTRY Radio Texas,” playfully leading into the hit co-lead single “TEXAS HOLD ’EM.” The instantly catchy feel-good tune went number one on the country charts, and its infectious energy will easily get you tapping the heel of your boot on the creaky wood floor. Compared to the more vulnerable and soulful moments in other songs, this track is fun, simple and it doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously.
My main criticism for the project is that the tracklist feels a bit bloated, with some unnecessary moments that make the album longer than it really needs to be. Some shorter tracks, such as “FLAMENCO” and “DESERT EAGLE,” offer some intriguing sonic ideas — such as the latter’s wet, slapping bassline — but they don’t add much heart to the album as a whole. This also goes for some pointless interludes throughout, including “MY ROSE” and “OH LOUISIANA,” which seem to just take up space
Deeper in the weeds of the tracklist, Beyoncé shines on one of the album’s brightest moments — Dolly Parton’s timeless classic “JOLENE.” Among the countless covers of Parton’s 1972 career-defining song, Queen Bey makes the song her own by switching around the lyrics and creating some of her own: “I can easily understand why you’re attracted to my man / But you don’t want this smoke / So shoot your shot with someone else.”
Her new rendition is unmistakable when she sings, “Jolene, I know I’m a queen, Jolene / I’m still a Creole Banjee bitch from Louisianne.” She aptly modernizes the story and updates it to coincide with her own life and narrative. Her vocals feel raw and edgy on this version, taking Parton’s begging tone and twisting it to be slightly more threatening.
“TYRANT” exhibits one of the album’s most ambitious genre mashups with a sharp fiddle melody layered underneath bonafide trap drums from trap producer veteran D.A. Got That Dope. This blend would typically have a high chance of coming off very tacky, but the execution of this cut makes it a certified banger.
The Pharrell Williams-produced “SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN” also keeps the country-rap hybrid alive deep into the tracklist. Beyoncé recruits rising singer/rapper Shaboozey — known for his blend of country, Americana and hip-hop — to create a lighthearted bop backed by a snappy jersey club beat and a deep acoustic guitar that feels almost dissonant for a grungy, experimental flavor.
“AMEN” brings us to the end of the long journey, coming back full circle by reprising musical themes from the album’s introduction. A lovely piano chord progression backed by a passionate choir section creates a powerful finish that brings me back to reality after an engrossing musical journey.
“Cowboy Carter” is an essential display of what Beyoncé does best: taking on a genre or style outside of her typical wheelhouse and bending the rules along the way to create something new and refreshing, breaking the limitations of the confines of genre.
Despite the sheer length of the project, a near 80-minute runtime across 27 tracks, this album always kept me guessing. It was chock full of surprises I never anticipated, frequently switching up the production style and playing around with a distinctive hybrid of musical styles at once. This playful experimentation led to a listening experience that never felt too repetitive, which was rather impressive considering the album’s size.
It was clear upon releasing the album that “Cowboy Carter” would be a tough swallow for some close-minded country traditionalists who view Beyoncé as a foreigner to the genre. But no matter how you feel about her recent undertakings and interpretations of these new stylistic frontiers, you have to respect it — she can really do it all, and do it damn well.
Like “RENAISSANCE” two years ago, “Cowboy Carter” is one for the ages that could easily keep the jukebox rockin’ for years to come. Take it from the words of Willie Nelson himself on “SMOKE HOUR II”: “Sometimes you don’t know what you like until someone you trust turns you on to some real good shit.”
