The weekend before the release of “Cowboy Carter” by Beyoncé, the facade of the Guggenheim Museum was illuminated to project the message: “This ain’t a country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.” Since the record’s release, the internet has become infatuated with the unexpected sound of Queen Bey’s newest music.
Beyoncé released her newest album, “Cowboy Carter,” on March 27, 2024, as a sequel to her 2022 pop/soul album, “RENAISSANCE.” The new album spans 27 tracks and features collaborations with the likes of Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Dolly Parton and others. It determinedly defies the rules and constraints of any single genre and makes a captivating, cohesive and catchy album.
The first track, “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” offers a stupendous opening. Characterized by masterfully layered vocals, the captivating strumming of a warped banjo, and Beyoncé’s echoing guttural cries, the song immediately establishes the unexpected nature of this album by being unpredictable itself. For that reason, this track was one of my favorites.
Other personal favorites included “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,” “BODYGUARD,” “LEVII’S JEANS,” “YA YA” and “SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’.” Among this list, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and “LEVII’S JEANS” are the only songs that can truly be characterized as country. I’ve been obsessed with “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” since it came out, and “LEVII’S JEANS,” despite being undeniably corny, has the comforting tune of an instant classic. Beyoncé executes the country sound excellently, which is what makes these tracks so great…but it is the genre-defying nature of my other favorites that makes the album so magical.
R&B track “BODYGUARD” simply flows through my ears like an optimistic river of honey and wildflowers—that’s the only way I can describe it. “YA YA” is absolutely electric and combines Beyoncé’s newer sound with her older sounds, making for an energetic Tina-Turner-esque banger that swept me off my feet mid-album. “SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’,” while being impossible to type, is a three-part song that took me for a sonic ride, transitioning from major chords and sweet R&B melodies to rhythmic chants and minor hip-hop chords toward the end of the song.
There was only one track on “Cowboy Carter” that didn’t speak to me, perhaps controversially so: “JOLENE.” Unfortunately, I just can’t get past Beyoncé’s rewrite of Dolly Parton’s classic—her take on the famous melody is a warning call to Jolene instead of Parton’s pleading. I just find the shady rewrite to be too corny. Her voice sounds amazing, of course, but the lyrics take away from the experience.
Speaking of vocals, “Cowboy Carter” may feature the best of Beyoncé’s career. From her guttural cries in “AMERIICAN REQUIEM” to her classic vocal runs in “16 CARRIAGES” to her breathtaking opera in “DAUGHTER,” “COWBOY CARTER” is the pinnacle of Beyoncé flexing her vocal versatility. She can do it all.
The album provides an outstanding auditory experience, which was only to be expected from Beyoncé. Thematically, “Cowboy Carter” is fascinating. In rejecting the bounds of genres and telling her own love stories, Beyoncé manages to simultaneously tell the intricate story of her own relationship with America.
Beyoncé’s musical exploration of her Southern roots is central in “Cowboy Carter.” The opening and closing tracks, “AMERIICAN REQUIEM” and “AMEN” outline this endeavor perfectly. Beyonce expresses her determination to tackle country music in “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” as well as her frustration with America’s past and present racism.
In “AMEN,” Beyoncé reflects on America’s past with slavery and how it hurts her today. She sings, “The statues they made were beautiful/But they were lies of stone,” continues to describe a house built with “blood and bones,” and urges listeners to “say a prayer for what has been,” almost implying that our prayers in the present day could help ease the pain of those who suffered from America’s racism in history. However, at the very end of the song, Beyoncé returns to her optimism for the future by singing “We’ll be the ones to purify our fathers’ sins.” By the end of its final track, “Cowboy Carter” demonstrates both that Beyonce can reclaim her roots, and that she is hopeful America can heal its past: As “AMERIICAN REQUIEM” summarizes, “Can we stand for somethin’?/Now is the time to face the wind.”
In expressing its themes so well, “Cowboy Carter” fulfills its purpose as act two following “RENAISSANCE:” to inspire joy and liberation through music. Despite sporting a completely different sound, “Cowboy Carter fits perfectly into Beyoncé’s message and sits comfortably beside its predecessor.
Beyoncé does not follow the rules of country, of pop, of soul, nor of any chart toppers in “Cowboy Carter,” and that is what makes this album “a Beyoncé album.” Once again, Queen Bey has extended her prime flawlessly, stylishly and originally.
