COWBOY CARTER is a Rootin’-Tootin’ Good Album
This ain’t Texas, so it must be better. Beyonce’s second installment of her RENAISSANCE project was just released last midnight and has already been regarded as one of her biggest and best albums to date. With 27 tracks, totaling a listening time of over one hour, COWBOY CARTER is an amalgamation of everything expected from a classic Beyonce album with a country-fusion twist. Each and every song, although under the same thesis of reclaiming the country genre with twangy banjo and foot-thumping rhythm, tells a unique, deeply vulnerable story from Beyonce’s life, of course with those performance-esque embellishments here and there.
From the second you press play on COWBOY CARTER’s first track “AMERIICAN REQUIEM” and Beyonce’s angelic, almost-overwhelming harmonies hit your face with intense passion and purpose, you feel as though you’ve been transported into a major Western motion picture (think Django but with more glitter). Everything is bigger in Texas, and Beyonce sure sticks to that approach. As you move through the Western rodeo that comprises these 27 songs, you are hit with new interpretations of what it means to make country music, the trials and tribulations of growing up and becoming an adult, and how to define your identity in the face of criticism from the outside world. These ideas are dense, which is partially what makes this one of Bey’s top-tier albums. The songwriting compliments the music and production so effortlessly, creating a sonic landscape that doesn’t sound too manufactured.
That’s another aspect of the uniqueness of this album. Beyonce has always been known to push the bar of innovation in music, and redefine what it means to be both a pop star and a Black woman in the industry. And somehow she never misses. Going into listening to COWBOY CARTER, I was worried about it not appealing to me, since I don’t ever listen to country music or find it much enjoyable; however, I should’ve known that Bey won’t lead me astray. She miraculously integrated techno/electronic production elements from her Act I of RENAISSANCE, blending sound effects, vocal and instrument distortion, and synthesizer with a myriad of traditional sounding melodies from classic Western music and simple-yet-effective chord progressions. Not only that, but she rapped on the album. In “SPAGHETTII,” over a Middle Eastern-inspired lead, she rips into issues with the media portraying her as only an R&B artist, and the public’s perceived inability of her to shift genres, et. al. The track starts out with country legend Lina Martell acknowledging this: “Genres are a funny little concept, aren't they? In theory, they have a simple definition that's easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined.” Martell, now 82, was the first commercially successful Black female country singer; it is almost full circle to feature Martell multiple times throughout the album, as Beyonce is evidently paying her dues to Martell and showcasing some inspiration for the country aesthetic.
Not only was Martell featured on the album, but a mixture of both legendary country stars and genre-diverse artists were also featured on songs or in interludes introducing songs. They included Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and even Beyonce and Jay-Z’s daughter Rumi Carter. Adell, Spencer, Kennedy, and Roberts were featured on Beyonce’s stripped down cover of “BLACKBIIRD” by the Beatles (it, among others, is spelled with two II’s as a nod to COWBOY CARTER being Act II of RENAISSANCE). The queen of country (argue with your mom), Dolly Parton, introduces a more-soulful cover of her hit “JOLENE,” thanks in part to Beyonce’s beautiful vocals. Willie Nelson was featured on, count it, three tracks: “SMOKE HOUR ⭑ WILLIE NELSON,” “SMOKE HOUR II,” and “JUST FOR FUN.” Miley Cyrus’ raspy vocals paired well with Bey’s smooth ones in “II MOST WANTED.” Post Malone took an exciting departure from rapping to sing the country-pop bop “LEVII’S JEANS.” Lastly, Virginia-based hip-hop-meets-country artist Shaboozey was featured on “SPAGHETTII” and “SWEET ⭑ HONEY ⭑ BUCKING.”
As far as favorite tracks go, I’m claiming “BODYGUARD.” Its immediately catchy tune and easy-to-follow hooks make me want to get out of my bean bag chair, where I’m currently writing this review, and square dance. I also love all of the simple harmonies and ad-libs on it, as they infuse Beyonce’s powerhouse personality nicely. Additionally, this song includes some of my favorite lyrics of any of Bey’s tracks; I really love “I protect you in the mosh pit. And I'll defend you in the gossip,” for its humor. Now it’s hard to choose, but I think a close second would have to be “YA YA.” I just love the way it combines a call and response between singer and instrument, as well as boasting clear Tina Turner inspiration in its instrumentation that makes it feel raw and less produced than almost any other part of the album. It almost feels like a live performance.
This has to be one of Beyonce’s best projects yet, from the songwriting geniusness to the impeccable musical talents, runs, melodies, and vocal stings present everywhere on it. I really look forward to seeing what’s next for Beyonce in her RENAISSANCE era, but for right now, COWBOY CARTER is a total shoot-out.
