Here’s something that was rather unexpected from Beyoncé. Her latest album, “COWBOY CARTER,” strays rather far from the vogueing and glamorous space she created in 2022 on her previous album, “Renaissance.”
“COWBOY CARTER” is a country album with Beyoncé elements that differentiates itself from any country albums released earlier this year. Beyoncé incorporates soulful vocals, contagious rhythms, melodious harmonies and twangy guitar riffs that simply ensnare your ears and make you want more. Every song is a grand spaghetti western adventure with Beyoncé’s vocals taking the reins.
What differentiates this album from any other previous Beyoncé albums is that this is the first one to show Beyoncé’s roots. Being a Texas native, Beyoncé has firsthand experience within the country music scene. Her attention to detail within the album is astonishing, given that “COWBOY CARTER” has been five years in the making. From the intricacies of the melodies to the passionate lyrics, each song was crafted to perfection.
All of the songs on “COWBOY CARTER” brilliantly compliment each other and instead of dutifully sticking to country, Beyoncé incorporates elements of hip-hop, Brazilian funk, 60s rock and Italian opera. Songs like “DAUGHTER,” “BLACKBIIRD,” “SPAGHETTII,” and “YA YA” incorporate all of these elements within an Ennio Morricone frame.
Within all of these songs are references to her past albums and musical influences, such as Linda Martell, Dolly Parton, The Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra and James Brown. “SPAGHETTII” and “THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW” are sort of mini-interludes containing messages from Linda Martell, the first commercially successful black woman in country music and the first to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Martell’s success helped many black country artists find their bearings inside the genre despite many obstacles presented within it due to its whitewashing.
The album is an ode to Beyoncé’s home, family and influences.”COWBOY CARTER” features many artists such as country legends Dolly Parton, Linda Martell and Willie Nelson. Other features include rapper Post Malone, alt-country singer Shaboozey, Miley Cyrus, Alabama country singer Tierra Kennedy, Willie Jones, Gen-Z country darling Tanner Adell and Beyoncé’s youngest daughter, Rumi Carter.
Before listening to “COWBOY CARTER”, I thought it was going to be horrible. Country music isn’t really my scene except the occasional Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton song, but “COWBOY CARTER” definitely changed those expectations I had. I liked how it wasn’t just a country album, but rather a melting pot of all the things Beyoncé has used before with newer things as well. Many artists are in their experimental phase and that doesn’t signify if Mercury is in retrograde or not but if it is, Beyoncé’s “COWBOY CARTER” is on another level entirely.
