Beyoncé has dropped Cowboy Carter, the highly-anticipated follow-up to her triumphant 2022 album Renaissance. Billed as Act ii, Cowboy Carter sees the pop star shifting from her last album’s club and ballroom-infused rhythms for country twang and Americana realism, paying tribute to the rich history of Black country musicians too often left out of mainstream discourse.
At a whopping 27 tracks, Cowboy Carter challenges previous notions of what Beyoncé can and can not do as a Black woman in popular music. Its guest roster is similarly massive and impressive. From Country greats Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson to young contemporaries Miley Cyrus and Post Malone to under-sung Black Country legend Linda Martell, Beyoncé takes note of those who came before her and cements her place with bonafide seals of approval from Country legends against those who might question her foray into Country.
A thrilling blend of country, rap, and hip-hop, Cowboy Carter is a singular work of art only a pop star of Beyoncé’s stature could pull off. As the queen said herself, “This ain’t a country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album.” Furthering the era, Beyoncé has since dropped a “Pony Up” remix of lead single “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
Highlights such as “Alliigator Tears” and “Sweet / Honey / Buckiin'” showcase Beyoncé’s remarkable malleability to embody each genre she takes on. On “Spaghetti,” she effortlessly growls her way through a hypnotic rap after flipping “Jolene” into a ballad about “Becky with the good hair” just two tracks before. “Ya Ya,” as Linda Martell announces in the track preceding it, is a cinematic and electrifying unique genre experience, interpolating Beach Boys and Nancy Sinatra in the span of five minutes while calling to mind Showgirls. “Tyrant,” an addictive Country-Hip Hop, is also a Dolly Parton song, who announces the introduction, just like she announced “Jolene” earlier in the album.
